Berry's Loss
by Phantomflower
Summary: A three-shot in the Ghouls of the Clans series. After a disastrous first outing with her new apprentice, ThunderClan's medicine cat Dapplecloud is asked about her past. She delves into a tale of cross-species friendship, the bond of a mother and her daughter, loss, and a promise she made a long time ago. Slight crossover with Discworld.
1. Part One

Berry's Loss

Summary: After a frightening first outing with her new apprentice, ThunderClan's medicine cat tells her of how she came to ThunderClan. Dapplecloud tells a tale of cross-species friendship, the bond of a mother and her daughter, and loss. How did she make it all of the way to ThunderClan? A three-shot set in the _Ghouls of the Clans_ universe.

A/N: This three-shot is related to my old story _Ghouls of the Clans: Tigerstar's Revenge_ , a _Warriors_ crossover fanfiction I deleted years ago. I will reboot it at some point, but I wanted to start things in one-shot and short story form first.

This story takes place in two different time periods. It starts six years after _Thunder and Shadow_ , but goes back to around one year after _Thunder and Shadow_. There will be two different allegiances as a result. The present day allegiances will be in this chapter, while the past allegiances will be listed next chapter. All allegiances will be at the bottom of chapters.

In the descriptions of the OCs, I list their parents' names. Some cats might only have one parent listed, and some pairings might be a shock.

Warnings: OCs, character death, gore, fantasy elements, supernatural elements (Dark Forest activity, a supernatural character from another series showing up), kits in life-threatening/life-ending situations, canon deviations, crossover cameo ( _Ghouls of the Clans_ started as a multi-crossover; _Berry's Loss_ and _Dapple's Return_ will be the first to reflect this.)

Canon Deviation Warnings: Lake Territory!SkyClan, Powered!Three (they did not lose their powers permanently), Medicine Cats Allowed Mates and Kits, Altered Cat Descriptions (the Erins have not been consistent on cats' appearances or even their gender, so I made up my mind on some cats), Alderheart Not Remaining A Medicine Cat Apprentice, etc.

Crossover Cameo Warning: _Discworld_. More specifically, Death. Unfortunately, the Dark Forest causes a disturbance in 'normal business' (the collecting of souls) in the flashback portion of the story. Which gets his attention pretty fast.

* * *

Dapplecloud darted through the entrance tunnel. Her short fur stood on end. She nudged her apprentice ahead of her. Cats cleared away for the duo.

The thin she-cat panted. Specklepaw had just received her name today. Her first outing should have been a simple tour of ThunderClan's borders, learning where the most common herbs were found, and being taught how to gather moss.

Instead, WindClan's dreamy medicine cat apprentice Lavenderpaw nearly attacked the dark speckled tortoiseshell she-cat and her mentor. Specklepaw witnessed Lavenderpaw's mentor Kestrelflight receiving notification that his son Pheasantpaw had died while he was out of camp from a nasty case of greencough. Dapplecloud had not felt comfortable how the messenger had publicly announced such a delicate matter.

She brought Specklepaw to the ShadowClan and SkyClan borders after giving her condolences to Kestrelflight. She tried keeping an eye on the tortoiseshell. A certain clearing consisting of ThunderClan, ShadowClan, and SkyClan territory was called the Forbidden Clearing for a reason. Then, her apprentice discovered a white object. A round white object with two holes at the top, a smaller hole in the middle, and small round objects on the bottom.

Dapplecloud shuddered at the memory. That had not been a mere object. The white object had been a Twoleg's skull. The very creatures she lived with as a kit until the attack happened. She insisted on burying the skull before she and Specklepaw fled back to camp. They sensed a dark presence around the area.

The she-cats entered the medicine cat den. They emptied their jaws of herbs they had gathered throughout the day. Dapplecloud rounded on her speckled tortoiseshell apprentice once her mouth was free.

"What were you thinking, Specklepaw? I told you not to stray in the Forbidden Clearing for a reason. That Dark Forest spirit could have killed us!"

A hint of worry laced her loud and furious voice. Specklepaw had assisted her for a couple of moons before her medicine cat apprenticeship was made official. The young cat had been one of the first cats to make friends with Dapplecloud in many moons. She was also the granddaughter of the ginger tabby and white she-cat's mentor.

What would Jayfeather think if she had lost Specklepaw tonight?

Specklepaw bowed her head. She did not meet her mentor's gaze.

"I thought that the Twoleg skull was interesting," she admitted.

"None of the warriors had seen a Twoleg for several years. Whenever another cat says that I'm not supposed to go somewhere, that somewhere ends up being fun. I've had to sneak out of camp before to take a look at the forest, and when Skipperpaw told me I couldn't join him once, he and the other kits were played a prank on the warriors without me. I have no idea it would be so dangerous!"

Dapplecloud curled her thin tail around her apprentice. Her dark blue eyes glistened.

"The forest is very dangerous, Specklepaw. That is why kits are supposed to stay in camp until they are apprenticed. When you snuck out with Snowkit and Finchkit before, you stayed near camp, and the warriors searched for you like mad. Now that you are an apprentice, it isn't about being left out of games. Many creatures want to hurt us, and even kill us."

The ginger tabby and white medicine cat scented three cats outside of her den. One carried the milky aroma of the nursery, one had musky tom scent intermingled with rabbit blood, and the last smelled distinctly of forest.

"Your mother, your father, and Squirrelstar are outside," she informed Specklepaw.

"I will tell them about today's events. When I am done, I will bring in some fresh-kill. Please rub your wounds from Lavenderpaw with a little dock while I'm out."

The dark tortoiseshell's bluish green eyes brightened.

"I will. Thank you, Dapplecloud."

Dapplecloud padded out of her den. A large tortoiseshell and white queen bowled into her frail body.

"Dapplecloud, what happened? Is Specklepaw okay?"

A smaller dark gray tabby tom pulled the queen away.

"Robinsong, let her breathe. But, yes Dapplecloud, why did you and Specklepaw run back into camp as if all of ShadowClan were after you?"

A small dark ginger she-cat leveled her green gaze with the medicine cat's very dark blue eyes.

"Dapplecloud, did you and Specklepaw encounter anything unusual during her first time out of camp?"

Dapplecloud flattened her large ears.

"A lot of things, Squirrelstar. Lavenderpaw of WindClan forgot where the borders were. She attacked Specklepaw. I assisted her mentor Kestrelflight in defusing the situation, but then a WindClan messenger arrived to give Kestrelflight grave news of a personal kind. His son Pheasantpaw succumbed to the greencough outbreak WindClan has been suffering from while Kestrelflight and his young apprentice were out of camp."

Squirrelstar bowed her head.

"How sad. But, the events you described wouldn't have you or Specklepaw running around like mice. Did anything else occur?"

The thin she-cat stared at the ground.

"I directed Specklepaw to our borders with ShadowClan and SkyClan after bidding Kestrelflight and Lavenderpaw farewell. I showed her where celandine grows at the lakeshore. We ended up near the Forbidden Clearing. Specklepaw spotted a white object near the edge of it. I told her not to stray into that area, but she didn't listen."

Robinsong's back fur rose.

"The Forbidden Clearing?! Why did you take her anywhere near that place?! Specklepaw doesn't always listen to what Smokefoot and I tell her."

Dapplecloud kept her very dark blue eyes to the ground. Robinsong had bore five kits in two different litters. Three were newly apprenticed. One was the age of a warrior but still an apprentice from a bad shoulder injury in his ninth moon.

The final kit had her spine crushed from a badger's paw smashing down on her small black body. She shoved her brother away from the menacing creature so he would live. She spent three nights in agony in the medicine cat den before Dapplecloud gave her the only help she could.

Robinsong's anger was justified. What cat should see their kits pass into the paws of StarClan? Dapplecloud's own mother grieved deeply after the attack. The attack that robbed the two she-cats of their kin, and led them to ThunderClan.

Smokefoot nudged his mate.

"All apprentices need to tour the borders so they don't trespass on another Clan's territory," the dark gray tabby tom reminded Robinsong.

"Every cat has the risk of straying into the Forbidden Clearing once around the ShadowClan and SkyClan borders. What was the white object my daughter decided to examine, Dapplecloud?"

Bile traveled up Dapplecloud's throat. Fifteen law of the warrior code or not, she hated seeing dead or injured Twolegs because of her kittypet background. Her voice came out barely audible.

"It was the skull of a Twoleg, Smokefoot. There were no other bones nearly. We buried it, and then sensed a malicious Dark Forest presence. It was a cat made of shadows that was larger than a fox. Specklepaw never looked so scared. We fled back to the camp. The spirit lost us after a while."

Squirrelstar growled softly. She swished her bushy tail about.

"Good. I will remind all mentors to maintain vigilance while around the west side of our territory. All of them should emphasize why the Forbidden Clearing is forbidden. I will leave any punishment for Specklepaw's disobedience to you."

Robinsong glanced at the ginger tabby and white medicine cat.

"May we say goodnight to Specklepaw?"

The dappled she-cat nodded.

"Of course. Please keep it brief. After I find her something for tonight's meal, I want her to rest so she's ready to go in the morning."

The tortoiseshell and white she-cat entered the medicine cat den with Smokefoot. Dapplecloud padded to the fresh-kill pile. She picked a scrawny mouse for herself and a plump squirrel for her apprentice. The small she-cat didn't need that much, but Specklepaw was large for her age and still growing.

Robinsong and Smokefoot exited the medicine cat den as Dapplecloud crept inside.

Specklepaw laid in her fresh nest of moss. She raised her head.

"Mother and father spoke to me," she meowed.

"Mother doesn't want me around the west part of the territory. Father told me I should listen to you more often, but that I'll get better with time. Will I have to be punished?"

The ginger tabby and white she-cat nodded.

"It's not going to be that bad," she assured the young she-cat.

"You will just have to attend to the elders for a day. Part of this is my fault. You're just out of the nursery, and I didn't keep a good eye on you as I should have."

Dapplecloud dropped the squirrel in front of the tortoiseshell's large paws. Specklepaw tore into it with great speed.

Dapplecloud nibbled at her mouse more slowly. While the day had been sunny, cold air had nipped at her short fur all day long. Frost would kill most of ThunderClan's herbs soon. She would take her speckled apprentice with her tomorrow so she became familiar with ThunderClan's herbs. Perhaps she should push the she-cat's punishment back two days so her education was not neglected?

"Hey Dapplecloud, how come you know so much about Twolegs?" Specklepaw blurted out.

The remains of her squirrel laid beside her. Only the bones and fur were left.

The thin she-cat stared at her nest. She wanted her muscular apprentice to fall asleep soon. Was the story of her family's demise inappropriate so close to bedtime? It might give the thicker-furred young cat nightmares.

"You know that I had spotted a Twoleg skull right away, and you spoke how they behaved as if you had seen them before," the tortoiseshell apprentice added.

Dapplecloud locked her gaze with the young cat. Her whiskers twitched.

"That is because I knew Twolegs more than the typical Clan cat. Specklepaw, did anyone tell you of where I came from?"

Specklepaw shook her head.

"No. Were you born outside of the Clans like my parents, Frostflower, Hailwhisker, Webtail, and Ravencloud?"

The ginger tabby and white she-cat glanced around the medicine den. She nodded.

"Yes. I used to be what Clan cats deem a kittypet. I lived with my mother, my sister, my brothers, my father, and my uncle in a Twoleg nest. Our Twolegs consisted of one adult she-Twoleg, her mate, and their Twoleg she-kit. My mother and I stayed there until I was four moons old."

Her dark tortoiseshell apprentice widened her eyes.

"What caused you and your mother to leave?" she voiced.

"Were the Twolegs mean?"

Dapplecloud fluffed up her fur. She glared at the young she-cat.

"By StarClan, no!" she hissed.

"They were nothing but kind to my family."

She paused for deep breaths. Her dark blue eyes softened.

"I can tell you the story of why my mother and I settled into ThunderClan, but you need to go right to sleep afterwards. We will need to be quiet since most of our Clan are settling down for bed. Do you understand, Specklepaw?"

Specklepaw nodded.

Dapplecloud shifted closer to her apprentice. Her voice came out as a whisper.

"The first thing that you need to understand is that, while neither kittypets or Twolegs speak the same tongue, they can understand what the other is saying when they've been around each other for a long time. My mother's name had been Mottleflower, but our Twolegs called her Briar after her brown and cream muzzle, ears, legs, and tail. The rest of her body was pale."

Specklepaw wriggled in her nest.

"What about the rest of your family? Did your Twolegs have names?" she whispered excitedly.

The dappled ginger tabby and white she-cat gazed fondly at her apprentice. She nodded.

"Everyone in this story, whether they are cats or Twolegs, has a name," she assured the apprentice.

"My father was called Jack. We weren't close, but he loved my siblings and I. He was mostly white with a ginger tabby patch on his right ear. Cloudy was my only sister. She loved climbing trees. Her fur was white all over. She would have been right at home in ThunderClan or SkyClan."

She paused for breath. Memories flashed in her mind about her kithood home.

"My brothers were named Rudy and Patches. Rudy liked making others laugh, and used to go on walks with me through our Twolegplace. He had cream fur with a dark brown face, legs, ears, and tail, and white paws. Patches had a patched cream tabby and white coat as his name would imply. He and I did not get along. He bullied me."

Specklepaw flattened her ears.

"He bullied you? Why?!"

The thin she-cat forced her dark blue eyes to the ground. Specklepaw had gotten along well with her sisters and older brother. She probably could not imagine doing such things to Dawnpaw, Sootpaw, or Leafpaw.

"Even as a kit, I did not like games such as hunt the tail, test your jump, or play fighting. I never won those when I competed against my siblings. Patches thought that I was a wimp," she admitted.

"The she-Twoleg's name was Eliza. She had golden fur at the top of her head. She called her mate Mason. He possessed short black fur at the top of his head. They named their daughter Maria. The fur on her head was yellow in color, and was not that long. Eliza and Mason worked as Cutters. They were fond of all creatures. Maria and I were close friends. She gave me my kittypet name."

Specklepaw leaned forward.

"Was your kittypet name something weird?"

Dapplecloud purred.

"No. She called me Berry because of my ginger tabby patches looking like the berries that grew in her family's garden. She acted cheerful most of the time, but was actually lonely. Do you remember hearing the stories about Briarlight?"

The tortoiseshell cringed.

"Yeah. Because of her spine being crushed by a falling tree, she couldn't walk anymore. Wait a minute – was Maria unable to walk for some reason?"

The older she-cat's dark blue eyes glistened. She nodded.

"Yes. Maria's legs never worked right since she was born. The other Twolegs made her a small monster called a wheelchair so she could get around. She used her upper paws to make it move. Because of Maria being in a wheelchair, the other Twoleg kits didn't like playing with her. She spent a lot of time in the garden, and reading stories recorded in rectangular objects called books."

Dapplecloud allowed her mind to wander back to her kithood days. How her younger self would lay in Maria's lap while she read one book or another. Or, Maria introducing her to their Twoleg neighbors. She closed her eyes.

"The story I tell starts in leaffall. It features the bond of a mother and her daughter, loss, murder, friendship being two different kinds of creatures, and a promise. On the last day my mother and I spent with our family, Maria woke me early in the morning…"

* * *

Berry slept soundly. She snuggled into Maria's nightgown. Her owner was comfortable to snooze on. The kit only knew of warmth and darkness.

A small hand gently shook her.

"Berry, wake up! We need to go get breakfast."

The ginger tabby and white she-kit's dark blue eyes flew open. She came face to face with a young girl with pale yellow hair ending at the bottom of her neck.

"Good morning Berry," Maria greeted.

The small she-kit nuzzled her owner's face.

"Good morning to you too Maria," she purred.

Berry knew that her owner could not speak her tongue, but her mother Briar assured the she-kit that humans understood the general meaning of the things their cats told them. She waited for her pale-skinned friend to settle into her wheelchair before jumping on her lap. Maria pushed her wheelchair towards the bathroom.

After the yellow-haired girl changed from her red nightgown to a green dress, white socks, and plain black shoes, she directed the wheelchair to the dining room. A golden-haired woman laid out sausage, eggs, toast, a mixed bowl of berries, and a jug of milk on the table.

"Good morning, Maria. Did you sleep well?" the woman asked.

Maria nodded.

"It was nice. Thanks for letting Berry sleep with me, mum."

Maria's mother smiled at the wheelchair-bound girl.

"Think nothing of it. We're keeping her, so there's no harm with her staying in your bedroom. Your dad will be serving breakfast to the cats soon. Let Berry down from your lap."

Berry glanced at her young owner. Maria petted her head.

"Go on Berry," she encouraged.

"Dad's bringing you breakfast. Your family is waiting for you."

The dappled ginger tabby and white kit jumped from her owner's lap. Her back legs skidded on the kitchen floor as she landed. Her large ears picked up a jeering _mrrow_.

"Oh look, it's the runt," a white tom-kit with cream patches sneered.

"You can't even jump right."

A cream tom-kit with a dark brown muzzle, ears, legs, tail, and white paws hissed at the patched tom-kit.

"Patches, cut it out! Could you stop making fun of Berry? We're going to be separated into new homes in a few days. I want our last days together to be fun."

A white she-kit shoved herself between the two tom-kits.

"Patches, stop bothering Berry for me. Please?"

Patches' very dark green eyes softened.

"Only for you, Cloudy. I wonder what Mason will give us this morning."

A high-pitched voice answered from behind the kits.

"I believe that we're getting lamb this time, Patches. Good morning, my kits."

A pale she-cat with a brown and cream muzzle, ears, legs, and tail approached the young cats.

Cloudy rubbed against her mother's side.

"Good morning, mom."

Patches ran up to the small she-cat.

"Morning mum," he mewed.

Rudy skipped excitedly to his mother. He nuzzled the narrow-faced she-cat's cheek.

"Good morning, mum! Did you sleep well?"

Berry's mother nodded. She released a loud purr.

"I certainly did, Rudy. Did you, Patches, and Cloudy rest without me there?"

The cream and brown tom-kit puffed out his chest.

"We sure did. We aren't little kits anymore, mum. I actually missed Berry more than you."

The pale she-cat glanced at Berry.

"Is that so? Good morning, Berry."

The ginger tabby and white she-kit rushed up to her mother. She nuzzled the queen's brown and cream face.

"Good morning, mum. Sleeping with Maria was great!"

The pale she-cat licked the top of her daughter's head.

"I'm glad. I was a little worried when Eliza allowed Maria to take you to her bedroom. You didn't sleep well when I started sleeping with your father again."

Berry licked at her chest fur.

"That was when I was as small as a flea!" she joked.

"It's not like Maria's a stranger."

A black-haired man walked into the dining room carrying a tray of stainless steel bowls. They smelled of warm lamb canned cat food. A white tom with a patch of ginger tabby on his right ear and a pale cream tabby tom with a white chest and paws followed on his heels.

"Briar, Berry, Rudy, Cloudy, Patches, Jack, Matt, time for breakfast!" the man called.

The man sat down the filled cat food bowls. The cats rushed towards the food.

Berry gulped down her food. It tasted very rich. Her eyes kept a close eye on Patches in case he tried stealing some of her food. She wouldn't put it past him. Her ears listened to Maria talking with her parents.

"Remember, we will be picking you up from school so we can take you to your doctor's appointment," Eliza reminded her daughter.

Maria sighed. The dappled she-kit heard the girl spoon up some soft berries.

"I know. Mum, why do I need to see the doctor so much?"

Berry chanced a glance at Eliza. The pale-skinned woman frowned.

"Maria, you know that you're a little different from the other kids. The doctor needs to keep a close eye on you so you don't get sick," the golden-haired woman explained.

She then turned to her mate.

"Mason, we're going to have to close our practice early for Maria's doctor visit. The doctor insisted on having us both there. Can you have our receptionist reschedule our later appointments, and leave the number of the nearby emergency vets on our answering machine?"

Mason nodded.

"Sure. I can handle that."

Berry returned her attention to her food. She devoured the last few morsels. Patches stared at her hungrily. Jack blocked the young tom from making a go for the ginger tabby and white she-kit's food with his tail. Cloudy licked a few speckles of food off her whiskers. Rudy glared at their brother.

Briar nibbled at her meal daintily while staring at Patches. It was her way of saying ' _Don't you dare steal your sister's meal, or I'm going to give you a cuff around the ear!_ '. Her kits heeded her very well.

Eliza picked up the cats' bowls once they were empty. She stacked them together. The golden-haired woman carried them out of the room.

Her mate approached the cats. He crouched down to their level. His green eyes took in all of them.

"Now, which one of you will we bring to our practice today?" he wondered aloud.

He smiled at them.

"Which one of you wants to go with daddy to work?"

Matt rubbed Mason's leg excitedly.

"I want to," he purred.

"Please, take me to your office Mason. I want all of the girls there to fuss over me again!"

Jack headbutted against the man's chest.

"Take me instead Mason," he begged.

"The visitors always give out nice treats!"

Rudy nudged the man's belly.

"Please take me, Mason. I want to see your vet office before I leave with new owners," the kit urged.

Eliza reentered the dining room. She shook her head at the scene.

"How about we take Matt and Patches?" she suggested.

Patches' dark green eyes widened in disbelief. Matt nuzzled Mason's leg affectionately.

"Matt loves going to our vet office. He gets along well with the vet techs and visitors," the golden-haired woman explained.

"People love kittens like Patches. It hasn't escaped me that he likes to pick on Berry if they're left alone. She needs a break I think. A little more socialization could help Patches with his manners."

Maria nodded eagerly from her wheelchair.

"It sounds like a great idea, mum. I don't like that Patches hurts Berry so much."

Her father stood up. He strode to the yellow-haired girl's side before petting her on the head.

"Don't worry, sweetie. The Maples will pick up Patches in five more days."

Berry bowed her head. She had five more days until she, Rudy, Cloudy, and Patches would have to say farewell. She ran to the girl's wheelchair. She jumped up onto Maria's lap.

The shorthaired girl hugged her close.

"I love you so much Berry," she whispered.

"I have to go to school soon. I wish I could take you there. A lot of the kids don't like me."

The dappled ginger tabby and white kit rubbed against Maria's belly. She knew from what her owner told her that schools were where human kits learned from older ones called teachers. Each teacher was assigned to a large group of kits called a class that they were supposed to teach.

The kits in Maria's class often didn't let her play with them. They excluded her from a lot of activities because of her being confined to her wheelchair. She only had a few friends.

Eliza approached the yellow-haired girl.

"Maria, say goodbye to Berry. It's time to leave for school," she informed the small child.

The girl ruffled Berry on the head one last time.

"I've got to go. Bye, Berry!"

The small she-kit jumped down from the wheelchair. She called back to her friend.

"See you later, Maria! Have a good day."

Eliza and her daughter headed out the door. Mason trailed behind them with Matt and Patches in separate carriers. Matt turned his head to where Berry stood.

"Have a great day, Berry. We'll play hide and seek later when I come back."

Berry purred. Her brother sulked in his carrier. Maria's family closed the door behind them.

The ginger tabby and white she-kit played with her family for the next few hours. Rudy raced against her across the living room. Her cream and dark brown brother then tested his climbing skills against Cloudy. They clambered onto a wooden shelf.

The small she-kit stretched out her body against the scratching post her human family had set out for them. Her claws relished the tough material. She heard the ring of her mother's pink collar behind her.

"Berry, would you like to go on a walk?" Briar inquired.

"I think your father wants to use the scratching post."

Berry glanced behind her. Jack eyed the scratching post eagerly. She felt restlessness in her dainty paws.

"Are you sure we can go on a walk?" she asked anxiously.

"Maria and her parents always come back to the house early whenever Maria has to go to the doctor."

The pale, cream, and brown she-cat nodded. She encircled her daughter with her long tail.

"If they didn't want us outside, they would have closed the cat door before they left," she reassured.

"It will only be for a little while. If we see Mason's van on the road during our walk, we'll come back home. Don't worry."

The dappled ginger tabby and white kit retracted her claws. She followed her mother out of the cat door.

The mother and daughter pair stepped onto a wooden porch. Some rays of sunlight peeped out of the clouds above them. They ran down the ramp that Maria used to enter and exit the house. Their paws touched hard stone.

Berry glanced across the street. A nearly white she-kit with a reddish-brown muzzle, ears, legs, and tail napped under a tree alongside an older white she-cat with a frosty gray muzzle, ears, legs, and tail. They snuggled into one another.

"It looks like Rosie and your aunt Olivia are down for their morning nap," her mother murmured.

"Let's not disturb them. We'll visit them on our way back if they've woken up by then."

The dappled she-kit nodded. She held her head low in disappointment. She loved visiting her cousin Rosie.

She traveled with her mother Briar on the sidewalk. A lot less humans than normal were outside of their houses. Crows swarmed the cloudy skies. The cold breeze ruffled her short fur.

Berry paused a few doors down. Her pale pink nose picked up the scent of a dog and two terrified kits. A slavering gray and white dog with erect ears chased after a flat-faced white she-kit and a larger brown tabby tom-kit.

Briar stood in front of her daughter. She arched her back.

"Laurel, Pine, get over here! Flee into the bushes with Berry."

The ginger and white she-kit fled into a large set of rosebushes. The bushes' thorns scratched against her short fur. Laurel and Pine followed after her.

"My owners' dog Hank got loose from their yard," Laurel whimpered.

"I've tried to get along with him since I first came to live with our family, but he hates me. He chases me as if I'm one of his squeaky toys."

The white she-kit shivered.

"A lot of us hate Hank," Pine growled.

His fur stood on end. He crouched low to the ground.

"Many of the local dogs don't mind cats. One even helped me get home after I got lost on my first trip outside. But, Hank isn't one of those. His owners should be more careful. I've heard my owners say that if a dog kills another animal or attacks a human, a special group of humans takes them away."

Berry wondered what the word _killed_ meant. It sounded very bad from how the older tom-kit used it in an angry tone.

She heard the dog yelp. Her nose caught the coppery scent of blood. Hank's large paws faded away fast. Her mother's voice called from outside of the bushes.

"It's safe to come out now, kits."

The dappled she-kit climbed out of the bush. Briar sported blood on her front paws. A few tufts of fur were missing from her tail and side. Her back leg was stained with a small amount of blood. Berry and her companions stared in awe.

"How did you get Hank to go away?" Laurel gasped.

The pale, cream, and brown she-cat purred.

"I aimed for his nose. Most dogs turn into whimpering kits once you scratch them there."

Pine's amber eyes widened.

"But, you look so delicate," he mewed in disbelief.

The thin she-cat narrowed her very dark blue eyes.

"Just because I'm a former show cat doesn't mean I'm soft. Especially when someone threatens my daughter and her friends."

Briar looked around the surrounding streets. She lifted her nose into the air.

"Hank will still be out there a while. Laurel, I think you should stay with Pine until Hank is shut away in his kennel again. It shouldn't take your owners long to find him."

Laurel nodded.

"I'll head back towards home with Pine. I hope I see you later, Berry."

The thin she-kit nodded at her long-furred friend.

"Bye, Laurel."

Pine guided the flat-faced kit with his tail.

"We'll see you around, Berry."

The brown tabby and his white friend rushed towards their neighborhood.

Berry continued walking with her mother. She nuzzled the short-furred she-cat's side.

"Mum," she mewed sadly.

"I'm going to miss Rudy and Cloudy. Why do they need to leave our house?"

Briar glanced at the dappled ginger tabby and white she-kit. She bowed her head.

"Berry," she crooned.

"When a kit reaches around two to three moons old, they are usually big enough to live with a human family without their mother or littermates. Some mothers don't want their kits to stay with them once they can live on their own."

She paused for a moment before continuing.

"Our owners can only take care of a certain number of cats without running out of food to take care of us. A lot of housefolk want cats to join their families. This often happens when cats are still kits. Your littermates stayed longer because all of you were smaller than normal."

The dappled she-kit curled her lip. Once five days had passed, they would be no more Rudy and his silly antics. Her uncle Matt was funny, but it wasn't the same.

"I still don't like this," she hissed.

"In five more days, my sister and brothers will be picked up by strangers. I don't know if I'll see them again. I don't mind Patches joining a new family, but Rudy and I have been so close. He always gets me laughing with his tricks."

Her pale, cream, and brown mother pulled her close with her tail. She licked Berry's right ear.

"You don't need to like it, Berry. When I was a kit, my sister Olivia and I were lucky enough to have owners that lived across the street from each other. Our brother Ace, on the other paw, lived on the edge of town. We couldn't visit him often. After a couple of years, he and his owners moved out of our town all together."

The tiny she-kit rubbed the small she-cat's side.

"I'll have you forever, right mum?"

Briar nuzzled her face.

"Until I grow too old and ascend into the clouds as our owners put it. I will not leave you until then, Berry."

A sudden scream cut off their conversation. The coppery tang of blood hit their noses.

Briar lifted her nose into the air. She flattened her large ears.

"A human is being attacked by something," she growled.

Her dark blue eyes narrowed.

"We need to find a hiding place that gives us a view of the human and their attacker. Berry, do you see any shrubs or bushes we can hide in?"

The ginger tabby and white she-kit looked around. There was a bushy shrub four houses down from them on the grass. The house behind it was a small yellow dwelling. The screams came from the same direction.

"There's a shrub four houses down," she reported.

"It's in the yard of a small yellow house."

Her small mother purred quietly.

"That's my girl," she praised.

"Now, stay quiet so the human's attacker doesn't find us."

Berry nodded. She and the thin she-cat crept across the lawns. They kept low to the ground. Only a few soft rustles accompanied their entrance into the bush.

The dappled she-kit stared out of the bush. The creature attacking the human was nothing she had seen in her short life so far.

The creature assumed the shape of a very large cat. It was completely black with glowing amber eyes. Shadowy tendrils extended from its body. The grass under its paws wilted away.

The assaulted human was an older man with graying hair. Blood ran down his shoulder.

He tried elbowing the creature in the chest. The creature caught his arm with its mouth. It tore off a chunk of his flesh. The human let out a loud yowl. A few other humans rushed out of their houses.

They were too late. The creature tore out the human's throat.

Berry and her mother watched in horrified fascination. Plants rotted wherever the creature walked. None of the tactics the humans attempted worked. The creature tore the gathered humans apart. Blood pooled around the streets.

The creature stalked off towards one of the human's houses. The high voices of young human kits echoed from inside.

Briar gasped. She pulled her daughter close.

"What a monster," she hissed quietly.

"We're getting out of here. We are running back home."

The small she-cat and her tiny daughter pelted off towards their house. A black-cloaked figure materialized from thin air as they departed.

Houses flashed before Berry's eyes. Most of the doors were wide open. A lot of housefolk laid unmoving in their yards in pools of blood. She occasionally saw dogs, cats, birds, or other creatures lying still beside them.

Did the shadow cat commit all of this? What was it doing to all of these creatures?

The dappled ginger tabby and white she-kit spotted her family's house after several minutes of running. The elegant pale blue home loomed in front of her with Mason's green van in the driveway. The door had been torn apart. The side of the house sported a prominent claw mark not there previously. The claw mark was surrounded by blood splatter.

The kit froze. She lifted her nose into the air. The smell of excessive blood and torn up flesh stank from inside. She shivered.

"Mum," she whimpered.

"That monster might have attacked our family. Do we go in?"

Briar gulped. She licked her terrified daughter's ear.

"We will go in there together," she declared softly.

"We will see if Mason, Eliza, Maria, your siblings, your father, and your uncle have been attacked. If they've been hurt, we will get them out of the house. We will find a way."

Berry leapt through the hole in the door. The coppery stench nearly clogged up her nose. She crept on the floor cautiously. A blood trail led further in the house.

She followed the trail of red liquid to a large black-haired man lying on his side. Blood spilled from his chest. It stained his white collared shirt. His blue eyes gazed at nothing.

The ginger tabby and white she-kit nudged his neck. She felt no pulse.

"Mason, wake up. We need to get out of here," she whispered.

There was no response. She barely sensed her mother enter the room.

"Mason, you're hurt. Please get up so we can get out of here," she pleaded.

Her mother licked her ear. She moaned softly.

"Mason's dead sweetie," she cried.

"Let's find everyone else."

The she-kit crept into the dining room with questions whirling in her mind. Mainly, what did the word _dead_ mean? A golden-haired woman laid on the floor with a torn throat. Her arms were covered with scratches. A cream tabby tom with a white chest and paws convulsed near the woman. Blood trickled from his head.

Briar rushed to the tom's side. She nudged his back.

"Matt, what did this to you and Eliza?" she yowled.

Matt's amber eyes flickered open for a minute. His breath grew ragged.

"Briar, I'm glad you found us," he rasped.

"A monster cat made of shadows attacked us when Eliza, Mason, and Maria came back home before Maria's doctor appointment. Maria fled with Jack, Patches, Rudy, and Cloudy towards Maria's bedroom. Mason tried fighting the creature, but it eventually…"

He broke off into a bout of coughing.

"We know," she whispered.

"What do you want me to do?"

The tom's body shuddered. He lifted his head slightly.

"Find everyone else, and help Maria find human help if you can. The most important thing is to get everyone out of here. The creature might come back."

Matt's head fell back to the floor. He coughed violently.

"Tell Jack that I love him. That he was the best brother I ever had."

The cream tabby closed his eyes. His chest stopped rising and falling.

Berry ran to her uncle's body. Her dark blue eyes glistened with tears.

"Uncle, please wake up…" she sobbed.

He had supported her when she couldn't measure up to her siblings in physical play. He knew the best of jokes. He had the power to cheer everyone up.

Her mother's tail wrapped around her body.

"Berry, he isn't going to wake up sweetie. I know you're upset, but we need to find your father, your siblings, and Maria. Let's head to Maria's bedroom."

The journey to Maria's bedroom was slow. Berry and her pale, cream, and brown mother passed fallen papers around Mason's computer desk, a broken cookie jar, fallen ribbons Briar had won in cat shows a couple of years ago, and bloody paw prints staining the floor. The floor areas not stained by blood had yellowed and grown cracks. The lights suddenly fizzled out. The dappled she-kit froze near Maria's wide bedroom door.

Her father laid on the floor with his legs splayed out. Blood stained his mostly white fur. His shoulder sported a gaping wound. The bite marks indicated that the creature had made it. Blood pooled around his belly.

Briar ran to her mate. She nudged his neck. He did not stir.

"Jack, no."

She tipped her head back into a yowl.

Berry crept beside her mother. She nuzzled Jack's face. Something told her that he was gone for good.

"Dad, what are we going to do without you?"

She inwardly hoped that Maria and her siblings were okay. She could not lose anyone else.

Her large ears picked up a weak mew.

"Mum, Berry, are you there?"

It was Rudy's voice. The ginger tabby and white she-kit yowled back.

"We're here. But, dad is lying still on the floor. I think he's not here anymore. Are you inside of Maria's bedroom?"

The tom-kit answered back in a whimpering tone.

"We'll all here. A strange creature attacked us. You better come in."

The small she-kit walked into Maria's bedroom. The area reeked of blood. Her yellow-haired friend's cat poster had been ripped from the wall. The porcelain pig that she used to store coins laid on the floor in broken pieces.

Cloudy slumped against Maria's bookshelf. Her neck had been twisted. She had been torn from her throat to her tail. Blood and … unmentionable squishy things … pooled under her. Berry turned away from the scene. She heard her mother's wail.

Patches was missing much of his patched cream tabby and white fur. Lacerations covered much of his small body. His chest had been torn open.

She followed Rudy's scent to in front of Maria's wooden desk. The cream, dark brown, and white pawed tom was missing a chunk from his side. His bright blue eyes blinked blearily.

"Berry," he whispered.

"I'm glad you're here."

Berry nudged his dark brown muzzle.

"Can you walk?"

He shook his head.

"I tried after the creature bit me. I grew dizzy and fell to the floor. I haven't been able to get back up on my paws."

Her brother's body shuddered. He coughed out a large clot of blood.

"Oh no. I think the creature messed up some of my insides too."

Rudy raised his head slightly. He struggled to keep it upright.

"Berry, I think I want to tell you one last joke," he announced.

The dappled ginger tabby and white kit grimaced.

"I don't think this is the time for this, Rudy. We need to get you and Maria help."

The cream and dark brown tom-kit shook his head. Blood leaked out of his nose.

"Sis, I don't think I'm making it out of here," he rasped.

"Everything's going dark. Just listen to my joke, please."

The small she-kit grew silent. She waited for her brother's joke.

"Why didn't the cat speak to his foot?" the tom-kit asked.

Berry lay down next to her brother. She sensed Briar sitting just behind her.

"Because," the dying kit rasped.

"It's not polite to talk back to your paw."

The dappled she-kit couldn't help herself. She let out a _mrrow_ of laughter.

The cream and dark brown tom-kit purred.

"Maria parked her wheelchair next to her bed. She convinced the creature to run off. I love you Berry. I couldn't have asked for a better sister."

Rudy's bright blue eyes drifted closed. His breathing grew shallower. It soon stopped all together.

The dappled she-kit allowed herself to wail. Her funny brother that she had been so close to was gone. It was something her young mind could barely comprehend. A familiar voice struck her from her grief.

"Berry? Berry, are you there? I'm next to my bed."

Berry's large ears pricked. It was Maria! They could at least get her out of here.

She followed her young owner's voice to the side of her bed. Maria's green dress had been torn in multiple places. Large scratches crisscrossed her pale arms. Her chest oozed with blood.

The small kit leapt into the girl's lap. She shuddered at the blood gushing from her friend's body.

Maria petted her head. Her breaths come out ragged.

"Mum and dad came back to the house to drop Matt and Patches off when this scary creature attacked us. It looked like a cat, but it was as big as a person. It was all black except for its glowing amber eyes. Everything it touched started to rot away."

She shuddered for a moment. She then continued.

"Dad tried to stop it. When he had failed, mum told me to take your dad and siblings to my room. She told me to contact help if she failed in keeping it away. It found us. I eventually chased it away, but I think you know how that turned out, Berry,"

Berry nodded at the yellow-haired girl. Tears slid down her owner's face.

""Rudy died, didn't he?"

The dappled she-kit nodded, although she did not fully understand the term _died_. It seemed to mean that a human or cat was no longer around. She let out a wail.

Maria lowered her head. Her lips quivered. She abruptly coughed up a lot of blood. The blood coming out of her chest oozed faster.

The ginger tabby and white she-kit glanced at the yellow-haired girl's bed. It was covered by a loose yellow quilt and a white under sheet. She jumped to the head of her owner's bed. Could the under sheet help stop the bleeding? She saw it work before when she saw a girl at Mason and Eliza's vet office press a sheet to an injured dog's side. She had watched it from Eliza's arms.

Berry sat on one of Maria's pillows. She grabbed a corner of the under sheet in her mouth. She started to tug.

Her mother glanced up at her with widened dark blue eyes. The she-cat then spotted Maria.

"What a good idea, Berry!" the pale, cream, and brown she-cat proclaimed.

"Keep tugging at it. Once it's free, try to hold it out for Maria. Have it cover where she's hurt. You will have to press your paw where the injury is to stop the bleeding. I've seen Eliza and Mason do it at their vet office."

The small she-kit dug in her back legs. She tugged very hard on the fabric. It came very slowly. She didn't know how long it had been when it came free of the bed. The she-kit jumped for Maria's wheelchair with the under sheet in her mouth.

The yellow-haired girl clung on, but barely. Her hands feebly grasped the fabric.

Berry pressed the under sheet to her friend's chest with her paw as firmly as she could. She stared into Maria's green eyes.

"Hang on, Maria. We'll get you out of here. Mum and I will help you find someone to help out," the she-kit urged.

The girl smiled sadly.

"Berry, I don't think I'm wheeling away from this. My sight is getting dark. Something is tugging on something inside of my body. It's like my mind is being shut away deep inside me. Is this what happens when you die?"

The dark-cloaked figure from before appeared out of thin air. The ginger tabby and white she-kit saw that he was very bony with blue lights coming out of his eye sockets. Despite being made of all bones, she swore his face was frowning a bit. She turned her attention back to Maria.

"I tried so hard to make friends," the girl whispered.

"I tried to join in the other kids' games as best as I could. I tried to keep up with my work in class even though I'm often at the doctors. I tried protecting Jack, Patches, Cloudy, and Rudy. Was I not good enough?"

The dappled she-kit nudged her while keeping a firm paw on the girl's chest.

"You were good enough!" she yowled.

Her voice startled Maria, her mother, and the bony dark-cloaked figure. They stared at her.

"The other kits were too mean to see how nice you are. You told me several times that your teacher was proud of you. That creature was as big as your dad. It killed a whole group of adult housefolk trying to take care of it. You might not have protected my siblings or dad, but you chased it off. It won't hurt our neighborhood anymore."

Maria twisted her lips into a big grin. She hugged Berry tightly.

"You really think so much of me…"

A very deep voice penetrated the she-kit's ears.

SHE THINKS VERY KINDLY OF YOU, MARIA. AND I THINK HIGHLY OF THOSE WHO LIKE CATS.

The giant cloaked skeleton walked to the yellow-haired girl's wheelchair. She raised her head.

"Thank you, sir. But, who are you?"

The skeleton knelt to her level. His voice came out with a hint of sadness.

I AM DEATH, MARIA. I'M AFRAID YOUR PREDICTION IS RIGHT. YOU ARE ABOUT TO DIE. UNFORTUNATELY, YOUR CAUSE OF DEATH HAS LEFT SOME COMPLICATIONS.

Berry shivered. Her short fur stood on end.

"What kind of complications?" she squeaked.

Her owner dying, whatever that was, was bad enough. Now it was going to get complicated for some reason?

Death leveled his glowing blue gaze with the dark blue-eyed she-kit's. His voice carried a somber tone.

THE SHADOW CAT THAT GAVE MARIA, MASON, ELIZA, JACK, MATT, RUDY, PATCHES, AND CLOUDY THEIR INJURIES WAS NOT A NORMAL CREATURE, BERRY. IT WAS A DEMON FROM A PLACE CALLED THE DARK FOREST. THAT IS WHERE EVIL CATS GO UPON THEIR DEATHS. DEATH IS WHEN A LIVING THING STOPS LIVING. DEAD CATS AND PEOPLE LEAVE THEIR BODIES BEHIND WHEN THEY DIE AS SOULS. A TWISTED RITUAL CAN FUSE SEVERAL OF THE CATS WHO HAUNT IT INTO A SHADOW DEMON.

Maria widened her eyes.

"You can understand Berry?"

Death nodded.

I CAN UNDERSTAND ALL CREATURES, AND MY VOICE CAN BE UNDERSTOOD BY ALL OF THEM. THESE SHADOW DEMONS HAVE QUITE DISTURBING ABILITIES. THEY CAN CAUSE ANYTHING THEY TOUCH TO DECAY. THE INJURIES THEY INFLICT ARE EASILY INFECTED BECAUSE OF THE GRIME OF THE DARK FOREST. THEY CAN APPEAR IN OTHERS' DREAMS AND ATTACK THEM. THE INJURIES FROM THE DREAM STAY WITH THEIR VICTIMS AFTER THEY WAKE UP.

The shorthaired girl shuddered.

"That's scary," she rasped.

"But, how does that make my death complicated?"

The giant skeleton stared at the ground.

SHOULD SOMEONE DIE OF WOUNDS INFLICTED FROM THE SHADOW DEMONS, THEIR SOULS ARE UNABLE TO PASS ON AS THEY SHOULD BECAUSE OF THE TAINT SHADOW DEMONS CARRY. IT IS A FACTOR THAT IS TIME DEPENDENT. SHOULD SOMEONE DIE AFTER STRUGGLING WITH SHADOW DEMON RELATED WOUNDS FOR WEEKS ON END, THEY WILL PASS ON NORMALLY BECAUSE THE WINDOW FOR THE TAINT TAKING EFFECT HAS PASSED. THE TAINT FADES AWAY FROM AN AFFECTED PERSON'S SOUL ONCE THEY HAVE BEEN DEAD FOR A WHILE.

Maria rattled out a cough.

"So that means I won't be going to heaven?"

Death shook his head.

NOT IMMEDIATELY, NO. IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT. I AM VERY SORRY, MARIA.

The yellow-haired girl shivered in her wheelchair. She stroked Berry's back with a shaky hand.

The ginger tabby and white she-kit nuzzled her owner's neck.

"It will be okay Maria," she reassured.

"You are not alone. I'm not going to abandon you. I will stay until the end."

Maria smiled at the she-kit.

"You're going to stay, aren't you?" she whispered.

The dappled she-kit nodded. The pale-skinned girl hugged her close to her chest. Her lips lifted into a smile.

"Thank you, Berry. You're a good friend."

The girl's body shuddered. Her green eyes slowly closed with their gaze fixed on her feline friend. She slumped over in her wheelchair. Her breath grew shallower, then stopped all together.

Berry stared at the yellow-haired girl. Her dark blue eyes glistened with tears. Her friend and owner Maria was dead.

Her gaze shifted to Death. He held out a long pole with a sharp blade on top. He swung it at Maria. It passed through her without an effect.

He did the same for Patches, Rudy, and Cloudy. Nothing happened. He stared at the floor.

SORRY ABOUT THAT. EVEN THOUGH I KNOW I CANNOT RELEASE THEIR SOULS RIGHT NOW, I HAD TO ATTEMPT IT FOR THE SAKE OF MY DUTY. I FEEL BLOODY USELESS.

Briar approached the cloaked skeleton. She nuzzled his leg.

"You tried. That is what counts. You said that you'll be able to help Maria, her parents, and my family pass on once they have been dead for a while?"

The giant skeleton patted the pale, cream, and brown she-cat's head. He nodded.

YES. ONCE A FEW YEARS HAVE PASSED, I WILL BE ABLE TO HELP THEM MOVE ON. IN THE MEANWHILE, YOUR TOWN IS NOT SAFE TO STAY IN. CERTAIN CREATURES WILL RUN RAMPANT WITHOUT THE HUMANS AROUND TO KEEP THEM IN CHECK. ONCE YOU HAVE DEALT WITH YOUR DEAD, I SUGGEST THAT YOU AND BERRY LEAVE. A FEW STREET CATS MIGHT TELL YOU SOME BETTER PLACES TO LIVE ON YOUR OWN.

Berry shuddered. Did that mean that there was no housefolk to take them in? Did the shadow demons kill them all?

And, what about Maria eventually passing on? Would her spirit move on alone?

She turned her head in Death's direction.

"Does that mean Maria's soul will pass on when I'm all grown up?" she inquired.

The skeleton ran a bony hand down her side. He nodded.

CATS ARE FULLY GROWN BY THE TIME THEY ARE TWO YEARS OLD AT MOST. ARE YOU CONCERNED THAT MARIA WILL BE ALONE WHEN THIS HAPPENS, BERRY?

The thin she-kit nodded back. Death pulled the under sheet over Maria's body.

I NORMALLY DO NOT MAKE PROMISES LIKE THIS, BUT MARIA'S CASE IS NOT NORMAL. WHEN THE DARK FOREST'S TAINT HAS LEFT HER SOUL, I WILL COME AND LET YOU KNOW. YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SEE HER OFF. DOES THAT SOUND OKAY?

Berry nuzzled the skeleton.

"It does. Thank you," she mewed sadly.

"I will come back to say goodbye to her even if it's years from now."

The cloaked figure scratched her under her red collar.

YOU'RE WELCOME. I DON'T LIKE SEEING CATS UPSET OR HURT. I THINK I HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU AND YOUR MOTHER.

Death fetched a few large cans of cat food from his robes. He opened them up with ease. He set them on the floor.

ALMOST ALL OF THE HUMANS WHO LIVE HERE ARE DEAD. THOSE WHO AREN'T WILL BE LEAVING VERY SHORTLY. THIS AND ANY FOOD MASON AND ELIZA LEFT WILL BE THE LAST CAT FOOD YOU HAVE ACCESS TO. YOU WILL HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO HUNT FOR FOOD, the giant skeleton warned.

I WOULD AGAIN TALK TO A FEW FRIENDLY CATS ON THE STREETS FOR TIPS ON HOW TO BEGIN. YOU WILL LEARN THE REST BY TRIAL AND ERROR.

Briar rubbed against Death.

"Thank you. We will not waste it."

The cloaked skeleton rubbed the thin she-cat's side. He did the same for Berry.

I THINK YOU NEED TO HAVE A VERY SPECIAL TALK WITH YOUR DAUGHTER, BRIAR. FAREWELL. UNTIL NEXT TIME.

With that, Death vanished into thin air.

The ginger tabby and white she-kit approached one of the cat food cans. She nibbled at the contents. It was not warm like how Mason prepared their food, but she did not care. The food's flavor did not register on her tongue.

Her mother took food from the other side of the can. They ate in silence.

Briar rose into a standing position once she was finished eating. She approached the bookshelf where Cloudy had twisted her neck. She picked her dead daughter up by her pale blue collar. She laid the white she-kit at the foot of Maria's wheelchair.

She then walked up to Patches' body. She carried him by his dark green collar to where she had laid Cloudy. She walked a few pawsteps towards Rudy. Berry stopped her.

"Mum, no," she whimpered.

"I want to carry Rudy. Can you please bring dad and Uncle Matt in here?"

The pale, cream, and brown she-cat stared at her daughter. She nodded.

"Of course. It's only fair."

The thin she-kit approached her brother as her mother exited Maria's bedroom. Rudy had already grown a little stiff. She carried him by his violet collar with difficulty. His back paws dragged across the floor. Berry laid him next to Cloudy.

The tiny she-kit watched her mother carry Matt's corpse into the bedroom by his orange collar. She laid the cream tabby and white tom next to Patches. The thin she-cat exited again for a brief moment. She heaved Jack into Maria's bedroom by his black collar. She laid him next to Rudy.

"I wasn't able to move either Eliza or Mason very far. They were too heavy," Briar moaned.

"I managed to close their eyes, however. Let's do the same for your littermates."

Berry moved her paws over Cloudy's very dark blue eyes. They closed without problem. She considered that a good thing. They were no longer the same pair that matched her own, but foggy and unseeing.

Her mother licked Patches' very dark green eyes closed. Tears glistened in her dark blue eyes.

"My children, my mate, my mate's brother, our owners," she cried.

"Why have my daughter and I lost those that we loved in so short of a time?"

Briar started up a large wail. She crouched on the ground. It was then that several truths sank in for Berry.

There would be no more sleeping with Maria in her bed. Rudy would no longer try to make her laugh by popping out of a bag or another silly stunt. Cloudy would not be there to make peace between her and Patches. Patches would never have a chance to learn better manners. Mason wouldn't give her or her family anymore warm canned cat food. He and Eliza would no longer take her family to their vet clinic to greet patients.

She and her mother were for all purposes alone in the world. They had lost all of their family. They wouldn't even be able to lay their housefolk to rest properly because they were too large. And, if what Death said was true, their souls wouldn't be able to pass on for years.

The ginger tabby and white she-kit drooped her ears. Her heart felt empty. She had no one but her mother.

She released a large wail that matched Briar's. She cried for hours. She cried for her housefolk and her relatives. She only stopped because of passing out from exhaustion.

* * *

Present Day Allegiances

ThunderClan

Leader: Squirrelstar – Old dark ginger she-cat with green eyes and a white forepaw

Apprentice, Skipperpaw

Deputy: Smokefoot – Swift dark gray tabby tom with light green eyes (Half Moon and Jayfeather's son)

Apprentice, Dawnpaw

Medicine Cat: Dapplecloud – Dappled ginger tabby and white she-cat with very dark blue eyes and a long thin tail, former kittypet (Mottleflower and Jack's daughter)

Medicine Cat Apprentice: Specklepaw – Dark speckled tortoiseshell she-cat with blue-green eyes, white front paws and tail tip, and a small white mark on her forehead (Robinsong and Smokefoot's daughter)

Warriors:

Lionblaze – Old golden tabby tom with amber eyes

Tigerheart – Old dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes, formerly of ShadowClan

Dovewing – Old pale gray she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentice, Shadepaw

Molewhisker – Old brown and cream tom with amber eyes

Apprentice, Sootpaw

Lilyheart – Aging small tortoiseshell and white she-cat with blue eyes

Ambermoon – Aging pale ginger she-cat with amber eyes

Snowbush – Aging white tom with amber eyes

Stormcloud – Aging gray tabby tom with deep amber eyes

Hollytuft – Aging black she-cat with bright green eyes and distinctive tufts on her ears (Cinderheart and Lionblaze's eldest kit)

Alderheart – Older dark ginger tom with amber eyes (Squirrelstar and Bramblestar's son)

Apprentice, Ashpaw

Larkblaze – Older black tom with blue eyes (Lilyheart and Snowbush's son)

Pinestripe – Dark brown tabby tom with green eyes, is wobbly (Dovewing and Tigerheart's son)

Drizzlewing – Silver-gray she-cat with dark blue eyes (Dovewing and Tigerheart's daughter)

Shriketail – Gray tabby and white tom with blue eyes (Ivypool and Bumblestripe's son)

Robinsong – Tortoiseshell and white she-cat with green eyes, former loner (Eclipse and Fox's daughter)

Burnetfoot – Swift ginger tabby tom with green eyes (Cherryfall and Stormcloud's son)

Cranefeather – Gray she-cat with bright green eyes (Hollytuft's daughter)

Antfang – Black tom with dark green eyes (Hollytuft's son)

Leopardclaw – Spotted golden tabby tom with amber eyes (Cinderheart and Lionblaze's son)

Aspentail – Large gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes (Cinderheart and Lionblaze's daughter)

Apprentice, Leafpaw

Webtail – Dark gray tabby tom with green eyes, former rogue

Yarrowheart – Golden tabby she-cat with amber eyes and one broken back leg, has a significant limp (Larkblaze's daughter)

Limpetcloud – Slender cream tom with green eyes (Rosepetal's son)

Ravencloud – Small black she-cat with blue eyes, a white chest, and a white hindpaw, formerly of GorgeClan

Frostflower – White she-cat with dark green eyes, former loner

Apprentices:

Leafpaw – Ginger tom with amber eyes and a long scar on his shoulder, has a pronounced limp (Robinsong and Smokefoot's son)

Ashpaw – Dark gray she-cat with ice-blue eyes (Cinderheart and Lionblaze's daughter)

Skipperpaw – Ginger and white tom with blue eyes (Lilyheart and Snowbush's son)

Shadepaw – Black tom with dark amber eyes (Lilyheart and Snowbush's son)

Dawnpaw – Plump gray tortoiseshell and white she-cat with amber eyes (Robinsong and Smokefoot's daughter)

Sootpaw – Thin dark gray tabby she-cat with green eyes (Robinsong and Smokefoot's daughter)

Queens:

Hailwhisker – White she-cat with long whiskers and dark blue eyes, former loner

Fostering Cinderheart and Lionblaze's kits: Finchkit and Snowkit

Cherryfall – Old bright ginger she-cat with amber eyes

Mother of Rookflight's kits: Foxkit, Swiftkit, and Graykit

Sparkflower – Older orange tabby she-cat with green eyes (Squirrelstar and Bramblestar's daughter)

Mother of Burnetfoot's kits: Daisykit, Applekit, Sorrelkit, and Peonykit

Willowface – Pretty silver tabby and white she-cat with blue eyes (Ivypool and Bumblestripe's daughter)

Expecting Cedar's kits

Kits:

Snowkit – Tiny white she-kit with blue eyes and a small dark gray spot on her left hindleg, deaf

Finchkit – Dark golden tabby tom-kit with green eyes and a fluffy tail

Foxkit – Ginger tom-kit with pale green eyes

Swiftkit – Small black she-kit with bright blue eyes, a white chest, and small ginger patches

Graykit – Tiny pale gray she-kit with green eyes and small cream patches on her pelt, has a weak heart

Daisykit – Cream she-kit with green eyes

Applekit – Ginger and white she-kit with green eyes

Sorrelkit – Ginger tom-kit with green eyes

Peonykit – Small cream tom-kit with amber eyes and a white chest

Elders:

Curlewfoot – Brown tabby tom with yellow eyes and a notch in his ear, former rogue

Whitewing – White she-cat with green eyes

ShadowClan

Leader: Palestar – Very pale white-silver tabby tom with bright green eyes and light gray markings, former loner

Deputy: Tawnypelt – Elderly tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Medicine Cat: Puddleshine – Older white tom with brown splotches and blue eyes (Pinenose and Spikefur's son)

Medicine Cat Apprentice: Sunpaw – Longhaired golden tabby tom with blue eyes (Goldie and Bitternpelt's son)

Warriors:

Snowbird – Old pure white she-cat with green eyes

Apprentice, Brindlepaw

Owlclaw – Old light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Apprentice, Darkpaw

Dawnpelt – Old cream-furred she-cat with amber eyes

Pinenose – Old black she-cat with amber eyes

Mistcloud – Aging spiky-furred pale gray she-cat with light blue eyes

Hornetcloud – Aging longhaired ginger she-cat with dark blue eyes, former kittypet

Cloverfoot – Aging gray tabby she-cat with green eyes (Snowbird and Scorchfur's daughter)

Rippletail – Older white tom with green eyes (Snowbird and Scorchfur's daughter)

Sleekwhisker – Older yellow she-cat with amber eyes (Dawnpelt and Crowfrost's son)

Needletail – Older sleek silver-gray she-cat with white chest fur and bold green eyes (Berryheart and Sparrowtail's daughter)

Starlingfire – Older black tom with blue eyes, a white chest and white paws, former rogue

Tallflower – Black she-cat with long legs and green eyes, is very wobbly (Pinenose's daughter)

Apprentice, Creampaw

Blizzardheart – Small white she-cat with black paws and blue eyes (Rippletail's daughter)

Apprentice, Rainpaw

Tanagerfang – Dark ginger tom with blue eyes (Arguswhisker and Juniperstar's son)

Wagtailheart – Black and white tom with green eyes (Arguswhisker and Juniperstar's son)

Ploverclaw – White tom with gray tabby patches and blue eyes (Puddleshine's son)

Lilacleap – Pale gray tabby tom with dark amber eyes (Needletail's son)

Slugfoot – Black tom with a stripe of white down his chest and blue eyes (Tallflower's son)

Sedgetail – Black tom with a white tail-tip and amber eyes (Tallflower's son)

Waxfeather – Fluffy golden tabby tom with amber eyes (Lionfoot's son)

Plumnose – Reddish-ginger tom with blue eyes, former kittypet

Thymestorm – Pale cream tom with amber eyes, former loner

Garlicleaf – White tom with green eyes (Rippletail's son)

Leechspots – Tortoiseshell she-cat with large black patches and golden eyes, former loner

Pipitfoot – Light brown tabby tom with dark amber eyes, a white belly and white paws (Railclaw and Lilacleap's son)

Stripeflower – Gray tabby she-cat with green eyes and prominent stripes (Railclaw and Lilacleap's daughter)

Firpetal – Dark gray tabby and white she-cat with green eyes and a missing front leg (Railclaw and Lilacleap's daughter)

Apprentices:

Darkpaw – Large black tom with green eyes (Goldie and Bitternpelt's son)

Rainpaw – Dappled gray and white she-cat with blue eyes (Goldie and Bitternpelt's daughter)

Brindlepaw – Fluffy tortoiseshell and white she-cat with green eyes (Dawnpelt and Starlingfire's daughter)

Creampaw – Cream and white tom with amber eyes (Dawnpelt and Starlingfire's son)

Queens:

Newtnose – Aging tortoiseshell she-cat with dark green eyes

Mother of Owlclaw's kits: Tinykit and Shrewkit

Kits:

Tinykit – Tiny ginger tom-kit with amber eyes

Shrewkit – Light brown tabby she-kit with pale green eyes and ginger patches

Elders:

None

WindClan

Leader: Heatherstar – Old light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Mother of Basilwhisker's kit: Fernkit

Deputy: Sedgewhisker – Aging light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Medicine Cat: Kestrelflight – Old mottled brownish-gray tom with bright green eyes and white splotches

Medicine Cat Apprentice: Lavenderpaw – Blue-gray and white she-cat with light green eyes, former loner

Warriors:

Larkwing – Aging pale gray she-cat with blue eyes

Oatclaw – Aging pale brown tabby tom with green eyes

Featherpelt – Aging gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentice, Gorsepaw

Slightfoot – Aging black tom with a flash of white on his chest and amber eyes

Brindletail – Older mottled brown she-cat with blue eyes (Heathertail and Breezepelt's daughter)

Basilwhisker – Older spotted gray tabby tom with amber eyes, former loner

Apprentice, Fawnpaw

Sparrowstripe – Striped light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes (Featherpelt's daughter)

Stoatstep – Small ginger tom with amber eyes, former kittypet

Brightcloud – Dappled black and white she-cat with blue eyes, former loner

Asphodeltail – Ginger she-cat with deep green eyes, a white chest and white paws (Stoatstep's daughter)

Sprucepelt – Pale gray tom with light green eyes (Shortflower's son)

Mintclaw – Gray tabby tom with amber eyes, former loner

Chervilfur – White tom with blue eyes (Bluetnose and Harestar's son)

Chipmunktail – Splotched brown tabby and white she-cat with pale blue eyes (Bluetnose and Harestar's daughter)

Ryestorm – Golden brown tabby tom with amber eyes, former loner

Sheepcloud – Black and white tom with dark green eyes (Brightcloud and Oatclaw's son)

Apprentice, Asterpaw

Birchnose – Pale gray tabby and white she-cat with light blue eyes (Brightcloud and Oatclaw's daughter)

Apprentice, Dustpaw

Buzzardleap – Brown tabby tom with bright blue eyes (Brindletail's son)

Dunlinwhisker – Gray and white tom with amber eyes (Sparrowstripe and Slightfoot's son)

Blackbirdfoot – Pretty black she-cat with blue eyes and a white chest and tail tip (Sparrowstripe and Slightfoot's daughter)

Teaselfeather – Long-furred blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes, former loner

Rockspots – White tom with gray spots all over his body and deep blue eyes (Birchnose and Mintclaw's son)

Grasstail – Brown tabby she-cat with green eyes (Birchnose and Mintclaw's daughter)

Nettlefoot – Gray tom with green eyes (Birchnose and Mintclaw's son)

Morningpoppy – Patched gray tortoiseshell and white she-cat with golden eyes (Asphodeltail's daughter)

Dappleheart – Tortoiseshell and white she-cat with dark blue eyes (Asphodeltail's daughter)

Apprentice, Swallowpaw

Apprentices:

Dustpaw – Dusty gray tom with amber eyes (Sedgewhisker and Emberfoot's son)

Fawnpaw – Pale brown tabby and white she-cat with light green eyes (Sedgewhisker and Emberfoot's daughter)

Gorsepaw – Mottled brown and white she-cat with pale blue eyes (Larkwing and Kestrelflight's daughter)

Swallowpaw – Black she-cat with green eyes, a white muzzle, a white belly, and white paws (Larkwing and Kestrelflight's daughter)

Asterpaw – Pale blue-gray tom with blue eyes, former loner (Teaselfeather and Fang's son)

Queens:

Shortflower – Small dark gray she-cat with green eyes, former loner

Mother of Squirrelfoot's kits: Batkit, Lightkit, and Fogkit

Brackenflower – Golden brown tabby she-cat with light green eyes (Sparrowstripe and Slightfoot's daughter)

Mother of Chervilfur's kits: Milkkit, Volekit, and Smallkit

Kits:

Fernkit – Spotted light brown tabby she-kit with pale blue eyes

Batkit – Black tom-kit with green eyes

Lightkit – Pale tawny she-kit with a pink tint and pale amber eyes

Fogkit – Light gray tom-kit with green eyes and dark gray front paws

Milkkit – White she-kit with green eyes

Volekit – Brown tabby tom-kit with green eyes

Smallkit – Tiny golden brown tabby tom-kit with blue eyes

Elders:

Nightcloud – Black she-cat with green eyes

Gorsetail – Very pale gray and white she-cat with blue eyes

Bluetnose – White she-cat with pale blue eyes, former kittypet

RiverClan

Leader: Mistystar – Elderly blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes

Deputy: Reedwhisker – Old sleek black tom with dark gray eyes

Medicine Cat: Willowshine – Old dark gray tabby she-cat with green eyes

Medicine Cat Apprentice: Nightpaw – Small black she-cat with icy blue eyes (Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves' daughter)

Warriors:

Mallownose – Old light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Petalfur – Old gray and white she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentice, Sandpaw

Podlight – Aging sturdy gray and white tom with blue eyes

Curlfeather **–** Aging pale brown she-cat with amber eyes

Lakeheart – Older gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Shimmerpelt – Older silver she-cat with green eyes

Perchwing – Older gray and white she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentice, Duskpaw

Brackenpelt – Older tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes (Petalfur and Mallownose's daughter)

Jaywing – Older gray tom with green eyes (Petalfur and Mallownose's son)

Foxnose – Older russet tabby tom with amber eyes

Chanterellefur – Light ginger she-cat with pale green eyes, is wobbly (Brackenpelt's daughter)

Spiderfang – Black tom with one dark amber eye (Havenpelt's son)

Patchpelt – Gray and white tom with pale amber eyes (Jaywing's son)

Otterclaw – Black she-cat with dark amber eyes (Jaywing's daughter)

Apprentice, Owlpaw

Breamstream – Long-legged silver tabby tom with amber eyes, former loner

Wigeonfeather – Pale tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes and a white belly (Chanterellefur and Spiderfang's daughter)

Hornetclaw – Pale ginger tom with amber eyes (Chanterellefur and Spiderfang's son)

Lightningspots – White tom with bright golden tabby spots, dark green eyes, former loner

Apprentice, Spottedpaw

Rushheart – Brown tabby tom with one blue eye (Curlfeather's son)

Shellpaw – Brown tortoiseshell she-cat with a white chest, paws, and tail tip, and blue eyes (Curlfeather's daughter)

Mudwhisker – Brown tabby tom with green eyes and a white chest (Curlfeather's son)

Privetstream – White she-cat with very light blue eyes (Icewing's daughter)

Juniperfoot – Swift light gray she-cat with bright blue eyes (Icewing's daughter)

Heronfrost – Silver tabby and white tom with very pale blue eyes (Icewing's son)

Apprentices:

Spottedpaw – Large spotted tortoiseshell and white she-cat with bright green eyes (Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves' daughter)

Sandpaw – Very pale ginger she-cat with light green eyes (Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves' daughter)

Cormorantpaw – Black tom with bright blue eyes and one white hindpaw (Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves' son)

Owlpaw – Dark brown tabby and white tom with light blue eyes, formerly of StreamClan

Queens:

Lilytail – Gray she-cat with blue eyes and a long tail (Perchwing's daughter)

Mother of Mallownose's kits: Creekkit, Brookkit, and Tawnykit

Swanwing – White she-cat with dark blue eyes and a small ginger patch on her head, former loner

Mother of Reedwhisker's kits: Birdkit and Redkit

Kits:

Creekkit – Frosty gray she-kit with a rose-tinted pelt, green eyes (Lilytail and Mudwhisker's daughter)

Brookkit – Gray tom-kit with blue eyes and white paws (Lilytail and Mudwhisker's son)

Tawnykit – Tawny brown tom-kit with green eyes (Lilytail and Mudwhisker's son)

Pochardkit – Gray, cream, and white she-kit with gray eyes (Swanwing and Reedwhisker's daughter)

Redkit – Reddish-ginger and white tom-kit with blue eyes (Swanwing and Reedwhisker's daughter)

Elders:

Mothwing – Dappled golden tabby she-cat with amber eyes, former medicine cat

Icewing – White she-cat with blue eyes

Pouncetail – Ginger and white tom with blue eyes

Minnowtail – Dark gray she-cat with amber eyes and fluffy fur

SkyClan

Leader: Hawkstar – Aging small dark gray tom with yellow eyes (Cherrytail and Sharpclaw's son)

Deputy: Falconheart – Heavily scarred gray and white she-cat with light green eyes, is blind in her right eye, former kittypet

Medicine Cat: Mossleaf – Aging pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes, white paws, and a white tail tip, former loner

Medicine Cat Apprentice: Maplepaw – Brown tabby, ginger, and white she-cat with amber eyes (Warblerflower and Harrybrook's daughter)

Warriors:

Mintfur – Elderly short-legged gray tabby she-cat with deep green eyes

Apprentice, Goosepaw

Birdwing – Old black she-cat with a gray muzzle, bright green eyes, and a scar over one eye

Harrybrook – Old gray tom with a paler muzzle and underside, and amber eyes

Cloudmist – Aging small white she-cat with blue eyes

Bellaleaf – Aging pale orange she-cat with green eyes, former kittypet

Dovenose – Aging gray tabby tom with deep green eyes (Mintfur and Nettlesplash's son)

Whinchattail – Aging pale brown tabby she-cat with bright green eyes (Mintfur and Nettlesplash's daughter)

Diverleap – Older black and white tom with green eyes, former kittypet

Apprentice, Thistlepaw

Violetheart – Older black and white she-cat with amber eyes, formerly of ShadowClan (Pebbleshine and Hawkstar's daughter)

Daisyfoot – Swift white she-cat with blue eyes and small silver tabby patches, former loner

Warblerflower – Pretty brown tabby, ginger, and white she-cat with green eyes, former loner

Cricketsong – Small black she-cat with green eyes, former kittypet

Campionflight – Ginger she-cat with a white chest and paws, and blue eyes (Blossomleap's daughter)

Flamenose – Ginger tom with blue eyes (Bellaleaf and Ivyface's son)

Ashheart – Gray tabby tom with green eyes (Newtmist's son)

Ospreyspots – Small black and white she-cat with blue eyes, former loner

Apprentice, Cinderpaw

Oakstripe – Golden-brown tabby tom with a white chest and dark amber eyes, former loner

Crowcloud – Black she-cat with dark green eyes (Birdwing's daughter)

Kestrelclaw – Brown tortoiseshell and white she-cat with bright amber eyes (Falconheart and Gingerstrike's daughter)

Gullfur – White tom with gray patches and deep green eyes (Falconheart and Gingerstrike's son)

Kitewhisker – Mottled brown tabby and ginger she-cat with pale green eyes (Commaclaw and Cedarstorm's daughter)

Wasptail – Pale ginger tom with a distinctive striped tail and amber eyes (Commaclaw and Cedarstorm's daughter)

Wisteriafang – Pale gray tabby tom with green eyes (Dovenose's son)

Wrenfeather – Light brown tabby tom with amber eyes and soft fur (Cricketsong and Oakstripe's son)

Terneyes – White tom with sharp green eyes (Tinycloud and Diverleap's son)

Apprentices:

Goosepaw – White and light gray tom with green eyes (Tinycloud and Diverleap's son)

Badgerpaw – Black and white she-cat with pale blue eyes (Tinycloud and Diverleap's daughter)

Cinderpaw – Pale gray she-cat with green eyes and light ginger patches (Warblerflower and Harrybrook's daughter)

Thistlepaw – Mottled gray tabby and white tom with amber eyes (Warblerflower and Harrybrook's son)

Queens:

Silverpoppy – Small silver tabby she-cat with bright green eyes, former loner

Mother of Ashheart's kits: Quailkit and Bluekit

Lichenheart – Gray tortoiseshell and white she-cat with bright blue eyes (Flamenose's daughter)

Mother of Russetstorm's kits: Poplarkit, Mallowkit, Slatekit, and Tipkit

Kits:

Quailkit – Silver tabby tom-kit with gray stripes and blue eyes

Bluekit – Blue-gray she-kit with white-tipped fur and green eyes

Poplarkit – Black tom-kit with bright green eyes

Mallowkit – Pale ginger she-kit with blue eyes

Slatekit – Dark blue-gray tom-kit with blue eyes

Tipkit – Dappled ginger and white she-kit with green eyes

Elders:

Tinycloud – Small white she-cat with blue eyes

Cats from Outside the Clans

Loners and Rogues

Dottie – Tortoiseshell and white she-cat with amber eyes, lives at the Horseplace (Smoky and Coriander's daughter)

Stripes – Gray tabby tom with blue eyes and prominent stripes, lives at the Horseplace; Dottie's mate

Tiger – Gray tabby, cream, and white she-cat with blue eyes, lives at the Horseplace (Dottie and Stripes' daughter)

Shadow – Longfurred black tom with green eyes, lives at the Horseplace; Tiger's mate

Cedar – Brown tabby tom with green eyes, formerly a kittypet; Willowface's mate

Former Clan Cats and Their Families

Leafpool – Elderly light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes, a white chest, and white paws, formerly ThunderClan medicine cat

Crowfeather – Old dark gray, almost black tom with blue eyes, formerly of WindClan

Half Moon – White she-cat with green eyes; revived, formerly of the Ancients

Jayfeather – Aging gray tabby tom with blind blue eyes, formerly ThunderClan medicine cat

Dustleaf – Pale brown tabby tom with dark green eyes, formerly of StreamClan

Rookflight – Sickly, thin black tom with pale green eyes, formerly of GorgeClan

Mole – Black tom with amber eyes (Leafpool and Crowfeather's son)

Patch – Tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes; Mole's mate

Acorn – Brown tabby and white she-cat with blue eyes (Leafpool and Crowfeather's daughter)

Snowflake – White tom with green eyes; Acorn's mate

Gale – Pale gray tom with green eyes (Leafpool and Crowfeather's son)

Orphaned Kittypets

Saki – Old white and tortoiseshell she-cat with one blue eye, one amber eye, and a short bobbed tail

Rosie – Nearly white she-cat with a reddish-brown face, ears, paws, and tail, and blue eyes; Dapplecloud's cousin

Nicole – Tortoiseshell she-cat with a white chest and paws, and amber eyes

Sky – Longfurred bluish-gray tom with amber eyes and a flat face

Flower – Ginger she-cat with amber eyes

Cedar – Brown tabby tom with green eyes; Willowface's mate

Amos – Gray tom with blue eyes, a white muzzle, paws, belly, and tail tip

Willow – Gray tabby tom with amber eyes

Berry – Black she-cat with green eyes

Oliver – Black and white tom with green eyes

Watson – Golden brown spotted tabby tom with green eyes

Others

Death – Tall male skeleton with blue eyelights, wears a black cloak

* * *

A/N: This is one of the spookiest things I have ever written. Knowing I was eventually going to do it did not make it easier. Welcome to _Berry's Loss_. Let me go over things that were not covered in the main story.

While there was a greencough epidemic back at the WindClan camp, Kestrelflight had to leave his patients unattended because his apprentice is too young to be gathering herbs on her own. Lavenderpaw is only two moons older than Specklepaw, and as Dapplecloud brings up, she has a dreamy nature that leaves her prone to ignore other Clans' borders. Kestrelflight likely had another cat oversee his patients while he was gone.

The Twoleg skull once belonged to an unlucky person camping around the lake when the Dark Forest spirits/shadow demons attacked. The shadow demons are very vicious, and have prevented others from cleaning up corpses around the Forbidden Clearing. That means that any Clan cat who dies in the Forbidden Clearing will be left there most of the time.

Specklepaw does not know she is Jayfeather's granddaughter yet. You might know if you read _Snow's Passage_ that while the medicine cat mating ban has been revoked, cats got very suspicious of medicine cats being in any sort of friendly relationship with another cat just before it was. It was Jayfeather and a revived Half Moon being chased off/savaged by an all-Clan patrol without anyone's permission that rescinded the ban. If Smokefoot revealed whom her grandfather was right away, nasty things could happen to Specklepaw and her siblings.

Jack and Matt were neutered after Jack impregnated Mottleflower to prevent a repeat. Mottleflower was not spayed after weaning her kits because she is a purebred Siamese of breeding quality. Her breeder made a contract that stipulated that she be bred to a show-quality Siamese male and has purebred kittens.

Her breeder was not pleased, but understood that it was an 'accident' and that no other ones would be happening in the future.

As mentioned in the story itself, Dapplecloud and her littermates were smaller than normal, and her littermates were not advertised for new homes until four moons old as a result. Their small sizes made them poor candidates for early spaying and neutering.

I did not mention things such as Eliza, Mason, and Maria's last names, the name of the town they lived in, the name of Eliza and Mason's vet practice, or the name of Maria's school as they are not important to Dapplecloud or the story. Mason, Eliza, and Maria's last names are mentioned in the final chapter near the end.

I have decided that cats mostly comprehend human language if they live with them. This means that the kittypets in my story have basic knowledge of human concepts. Why else would they accept human names like Rudy or Olivia, come when their owners announce its mealtime, run when they hear the word 'vet', and avoid hurting humans even if they're harming cats?

Even in _Rising Storm_ , Fireheart/star recalls the word 'kitchen', which he would only know if he understood humans speaking back in his kittypet days.

I have decided to do away with the all dogs hunt cats approach that the Erins often use. As both a dog and cat lover, I find this insulting. There are many breeds of dog with different temperaments out there. Several actually love cats. Hank went after Laurel and her friends because he is a Siberian husky, a breed of dog infamous for being an escape artist and having a high prey-drive.

The kittypets in this story use the name of our species in addition to terms like 'housefolk' and 'workfolk' to refer to humans. Certain sentences become harder to write when calling people housefolk (ex. "black-haired housefolk" to describe Mason, "A housefolk is being attacked by something" when Briar discovers the shadow demon, etc).

People are probably wondering why no one called an emergency number after the shadow demons started wreaking their havoc. That is also something that will be answered next chapter, although I have left a slight hint here.

Mottleflower's breed would be a Siamese in the UK where _Warriors_ takes place until at least _The New Prophecy_. All pointed colors are Siamese in the UK, but only the first four pointed colors (seal point, blue point, chocolate point, and lilac point) are considered Siamese in the US depending on the registry. The other colors are divided into a separate breed called the Colorpoint Shorthair. It makes for a big headache.

Dark Forest cats cause the environment around them to decay when in the living world. They do not lose this ability upon transformation into shadow demons. I wondered how to render its effects in Maria's house, as it is a man-made structure. If you believe that the decay needs to be ramped up, let me know.

Maria only survived as long as she did with her injuries from Dapplecloud's assistance and sheer willpower. Her being wheelchair-bound left her defenseless against the shadow demon until she used her wheelchair to harm it.

The usage of Death from the _Discworld_ series might raise a few eyebrows. I needed someone to attend the deaths of those in Maria's town, explain what the shadow demons are, and explain that Maria and the others killed won't be going to the afterlife right away. It isn't just the Clan cats who have souls. None of my options for such a task were that great.

Dapplecloud and Mottleflower had not heard of StarClan yet as they are kittypets in the flashback, and StarClan would not have a reason for guiding their dead family's souls elsewhere. The spirit of a dead family member could appear, but they wouldn't know everything about the shadow demons.

Angels that could have done that, but they would look even more out of place than Death. I also have objections to putting them in stories. They are easily overpowered. So, I went with one of the best grim reapers in literature as he posed the least trouble.

While Death mainly attends to the Discworld, perhaps the Dark Forest's activities have begun to interfere with normal business (the collecting of souls), and he has had to step in.

Berry not understanding the concept of death is pretty simple here. Four month old cats are the equivalent of six to eight years old. According to the research I found, children don't fully get death until nine years of age. Berry is not some 'wise beyond her years' kit. She's never seen a dead creature before. It will take her time to process everything. The wisdom she possesses as Dapplecloud came with time and many trials.

Dapplecloud will likely leave ThunderClan for a little while once it's time to upkeep her promise. She still remembers it years later, and knows it's only a matter of time before Death comes to visit her. She will make sure that the Clan is in good paws before she leaves.

This first chapter featured horror elements, but it will be toned down in the last chapter. After all, the shadow demons have little reason to stalk Dapplecloud and Mottleflower all the way to the lake. I will reclassify the story's genre if I need to.

This is seven months after _Ash's Family_. Any cats listed there but not in this chapter's allegiances have died. Cats that got their canon warrior names in _Thunder and Shadow_ have them to lessen confusion, but remember that events played out differently in my set of stories as I've been writing them since before the sixth series was released.

Readers may now notice that cats are mentioned in the these allegiances to be wobbly. That is shorthand for them having cerebellar hypoplasia, a condition where a cat's cerebrum is not fully developed. The cerebrum is the part of the brain responsible for body movement. Occurrences of this condition tend to increase when an affected cat's mother contracts feline panleukopenia aka blood dirt fever while pregnant. Affected kits have a hard time moving around. It's the feline version of cerebral palsy.

I have also added age descriptors to the allegiances as there are several old characters around. Clan cats age faster than house cats, but have been enjoying longer lives in the _Ghouls of the Clans_ ' universe thanks to several factors. A cat labeled 'older' is around seven to eight years old. 'Aging' cats are eight to ten. Cats over ten but under twelve years old are 'old'. 'Elderly' cats are twelve years old and up. I calculated everyone's approximate ages with the Warriors Wiki Events Timeline.

I have further tweaked the allegiances to place several now characters in the Clans. While he is not alive during the present day, Egretstream plays an important role in the _Ghouls of the Clans_ ' universe and history. He introduces some traditions that are still used in the present. And, some of those contributions have made life easier for disabled cats. Bluetnose, Buzzardleap, Dunlinwhisker, and Blackbirdfoot are from _Bramble's Sacrifice_.

The cover depicts Dapplecloud's house, Twolegs, and kin before the nastiness starts. She and Briar/Mottleflower are larger than everyone else as they are the main characters. How large the other cat characters are depends on their relationship with Dapplecloud. Rudy, Matt, and Cloudy have prominence as they and Dapplecloud got along very well. Jack was so-so (and a little bit of a lazy bum), so he's partially obscured by his daughter. Dapplecloud and Patches were not good friends, so we don't even get to see his head.

The cover symbolizes what Dapplecloud loses over the course of her story: her family, her owners, her home, and her safety. The angry clouds hint at the coming storm she and her mother must face.

Please tell me what you liked, and what could be improved upon.


	2. Part Two

Berry's Loss

Summary: A _Warriors_ three-shot in the _Ghouls of the Clans_ series. After a disastrous first outing with her new apprentice, ThunderClan's medicine cat Dapplecloud is asked about her past. She delves into a tale of cross-species friendship, the bond of a mother and her daughter, loss, and a promise she made a long time ago. Slight crossover with _Discworld_.

A/N: This three-shot is related to my old story _Ghouls of the Clans: Tigerstar's Revenge_ , a _Warriors_ crossover fanfiction I deleted years ago. I will reboot it at some point, but I wanted to start things in one-shot and short story form first.

This story takes place in two different time periods. It starts six years after _Thunder and Shadow_ , but goes back to around one year after _Thunder and Shadow_. There will be two different allegiances as a result. The present day allegiances were last chapter, while the past allegiances will be listed in this chapter. All allegiances will be at the bottom of chapters.

In the descriptions of the OCs, I list their parents' names. Some cats might only have one parent listed, and some pairings might be a shock.

Warnings: OCs, character death, gore, fantasy elements, supernatural elements (Dark Forest activity, a supernatural character from another series showing up), kits in life-threatening/life-ending situations, canon deviations, crossover cameo ( _Ghouls of the Clans_ started as a multi-crossover; _Berry's Loss_ and _Dapple's Return_ will be the first to reflect this.)

Canon Deviation Warnings: Lake Territory!SkyClan, Powered!Three (they did not lose their powers permanently), Medicine Cats Allowed Mates and Kits (in the present, not so much in the past), Altered Cat Descriptions (the Erins have not been consistent on cats' appearances or even their gender, so I made up my mind on some cats), Alderpaw Not Remaining A Medicine Cat Apprentice, etc.

Crossover Cameo Warning: _Discworld_. More specifically, Death. Unfortunately, the Dark Forest causes a disturbance in 'normal business' (the collecting of souls) in the flashback portion of the story. Which gets his attention pretty fast.

* * *

Berry's dreams were frightening and disjointed. At one moment, she was back in her neighborhood with her mother. The shadow demon was tearing the humans on the street apart. The scene faded away to the ginger tabby and white she-kit discovering her dead owners and family.

A dream involving a large forest and flowers of all kinds found its place among the frightening events of the last day. Berry thought she spotted a gray tabby tom among the forest harvesting the flowers. Who was he? She spotted other strange cats hunting mice, birds, and squirrels. The forest bordered a large body of water.

The thin she-kit felt a dainty paw shake her. Her dream faded away. She opened her very dark blue eyes. Briar stood above her. The narrow-faced she-cat nuzzled her cheek.

"Berry, it's time to get up," she mewed.

The she-kit rose to her feet. She stretched out her back. For a moment, she thought the events of the last day had been a nightmare.

She then spotted Maria's deathly white legs on her wheelchair's footrests. Jack, Cloudy, Rudy, Patches, and Matt laid lifelessly in front of them. They had been arranged as if they were sleeping, but their life-ending wounds remained.

The house's lights had gone dark. Only the rays of sunlight from Maria's bedroom window allowed her to see.

"It really did happen," Berry whispered in horror.

Her mother whimpered behind her. She licked the kit on the head.

"It did," Briar confirmed.

"I am sorry that I couldn't protect your siblings, Berry."

The mother and daughter pair ate the food that Death had left for them silently. The fall season's cool temperature had prevented it from spoiling overnight. Briar made sure that her daughter ate enough.

The pale, cream, and brown she-cat sniffed her dead family's bodies once their meal was finished. She curled her lip.

"They look fine now, but they're going to start smelling soon," she hissed.

"Berry, we're going to bury your father, uncle, and littermates in the backyard. I will try to move Mason and Eliza close to their bedroom after that. We will then say goodbye to everyone and leave."

Berry froze. She had lived here all of her life. Would she and her mother be leaving for good? Would she only come back when it was time for Death to fulfill his promise?

"Leave?"

The thin she-cat curled her tail around her kit.

"I'm afraid so," Briar admitted.

"We cannot stay here. Death told us that most of the housefolk around our town are dead. We don't have any food once we eat these last few cans and whatever remains in our pet feeder. When cats and housefolk die, their bodies rot after time has passed. Cats and housefolk get sick when they are around rotting anything. While we can bury our family, Maria is stuck in her wheelchair. Her parents are too big to bury properly."

The ginger tabby and white she-kit stared at the floor. She couldn't even bury her friend. How long would it take for bugs to eat up Maria's insides?

Her mother sat for a moment. She did not utter a word. She beckoned her surviving kit forward.

"I need to teach you about what death means."

The thin she-kit sat down. She listened for her mother's explanation on the subject. She had not quite understood everything yesterday.

"Death is when someone stops living, as Death told you last night," the shortfurred she-cat whispered.

"Every creature has a mind and a soul. They make us who we are. Our bodies are like the treat balls Eliza and Mason have given us in the past. They are pretty, but they hide all of the good things inside."

The she-cat glanced at their dead kin before continuing.

"When someone dies, their soul and mind leaves their body. Death comes to release the soul so it can reside in the sky for the rest of time. But, a dead cat's body cannot think. They cannot eat. They cannot sleep. They cannot run. They cannot play. A dead cat's soul lives in the skies beyond, but we cannot reach them. Not until it is our turn to join them."

Berry's very dark blue eyes glistened with tears. So, her family and housefolk were truly gone for good.

Her mother crouched down to her level.

"Let me talk about when I lost my father," the long-legged she-cat mewed.

"It was just a year or two before I had you."

The thin she-kit adjusted her position. She listened to her mother's tale.

"My father's name was Rascal," Briar began.

"He looked a lot like your aunt Olivia. He more than lived up to his name. He caused mischief for his housefolk. He always gave them a laugh. Over a period of moons, he started getting sick. He slept a lot more. He yowled in pain whenever anyone touched his leg, and became queasy when he ate his food. Since Eliza is … or was a vet, she was called over to look at him. I was brought along."

The ginger tabby and white she-kit shuddered. Surely, her grandfather could not have been that old?

"He wasn't that old, was he?" she whimpered.

The thin she-cat shook her head.

"No. He was actually quite young. It scared your grandmother to see him like this. He was so lifeless, lying in his bed all day. Eliza eventually found out that my father had cancer inside of his leg. Cancer is a very serious illness that spreads quickly. Most who receive cancer die."

The pale, cream, and brown she-cat stared at the ground for a second. She continued her tale.

"Your grandfather's cancer could not be treated. Eliza made an appointment with my father's housefolk to help him pass on. Sometimes, vets like Mason and Eliza have to help cats die. His illness took him before they could help him pass away. I was with him at the time. That was the first time I met Death."

Berry widened her dark blue eyes.

"Was he as nice as he was yesterday?"

Her mother nodded at her.

"Yes. He didn't lie to you about his soft spot for cats. I was upset that he was taking my father's soul away of course. But, after he released my father's soul, he scratched my sides and told me that my father was too sick to go on. Death can only be seen by the dead or dying, children, rare housefolk with magical abilities, and cats most of the time. This makes cats special."

The ginger tabby and white she-kit puffed out her chest for a second.

"So, Eliza and Mason were not able to see him?"

The narrow-faced she-cat shook her head.

"No. They saw right through him. My father had a great relationship with all of his kits. Your grandmother, your aunt Olivia, and I grieved for moons on end. Your uncle Ace and his owners had already moved away, so we weren't able to tell him. Your grandfather's housefolk buried him under a maple tree in their front yard. Your grandmother and I watched."

The pale, cream, and brown she-cat licked her shoulder fur. She then held her head low.

"We will hurt for a long time over what has happened to your father, your uncle, your siblings, and our owners. It's okay to grieve. But, we need to find a safer place to live."

The she-cat approached Jack. She lifted the mostly white tom up by his collar. He hung stiffly from his mate's jaws.

Berry grabbed Rudy by his collar. She followed her mother to the glass door leading to the backyard. The thin she-cat slid it open with her paws.

The ginger tabby and white kit stepped into the grass. Her brother's back paws dragged on the ground. Her mother laid her father under a large ash tree. She padded to the pale, cream, and brown she-cat.

"I'm going to bring out Cloudy, Patches, and your uncle," she informed the dappled she-kit.

"Keep a look out for scavenging birds like crows. They might try to eat Rudy and your father. Try to scare them if they come anywhere near your father and brother's bodies, okay? Once everyone has been brought out, we will dig graves for them."

She nodded at Briar.

"I'll try mum," she mewed somberly.

The long-legged she-cat sprinted back into the house. The tiny kit stared at the bodies of her father and brother. She wouldn't let birds take them as a meal!

Thankfully, no crows showed up around her backyard. She heard their caws elsewhere. They were probably too preoccupied with the dead housefolk at other houses to take a peek.

Her shortfurred mother came out with Cloudy and Patches first. She laid them next to Jack.

Blood trailed below Cloudy's corpse. The shadow demon had been vicious with her. Briar poked her head just inside of the glass door to retrieve Matt. The cream tabby and white tom was laid next to his brother.

"Now, this is going to get our paws dirty," the pale, cream, and brown queen warned.

"Start digging a hole into the ground with your paws. Make it as deep as you can."

Berry churned at the ground. She tore away the grass. Her mother dug alongside her. The older she-cat fashioned graves faster. There were eventually two large holes and three small holes in the ground.

The ginger tabby and white she-kit held Rudy by his purple collar. She dropped him in a grave with a heavy heart. She gave him one last nuzzle to the face. Her mother laid her father into a grave.

It was an exhausting job. The kit shuddered as she noticed that Patches' body already had a few insects on him. Some were entering Cloudy's wounds as well.

Berry's small mother gently lowered him in a grave. She gave the tom-kit a last lick on the ear.

The tiny kit laid Cloudy into the last unfilled grave. She nuzzled the white she-kit one last time.

"Bye, Cloudy. I love you," she whimpered.

She helped her mother cover the graves. She stared at Rudy's resting place.

"I love you, Rudy. I'm sorry that mum and I have to leave," she cried.

'I'll be back when I'm all grown up."

Briar nuzzled her cheek.

"They will understand," she crooned.

Tears glistened in her dark blue eyes.

"Goodbye, Cloudy. Goodbye, Patches. Goodbye, Rudy. Goodbye, Jack. Goodbye, Matt," she sobbed.

"We will see you again someday."

Berry and the small queen entered their house. They padded into the kitchen. They lapped water from the fountain their owners had set up for them.

Mason had been dragged into the kitchen. He had been laid next to Eliza.

"This was not very far from where he had been killed," Briar mewed.

"Cats are a lot stronger than they look. I will try dragging both of them into their bedroom. We can put sheets over them like Death had done for Maria. It doesn't feel right leaving them out here."

The thin she-cat hooked Eliza by the collar of her white shirt. She slowly dragged the golden-haired woman out of the kitchen. The dappled she-kit did not see her reappear for a while. She took a few more laps from the fountain.

Briar stepped into the kitchen some time later. She panted deeply, but looked satisfied. She drank from the fountain greedily.

She and the ginger tabby and white she-kit took a nap. The kit's dreams mainly consisted of the day their family was killed and visions of her rotting housefolk being eaten away by animals. There was one dream that was different from the rest.

She was back in the thick forest with the strange gray tabby tom and the flowers she had never seen before. She and her mother lived in a den with other kits and mother cats. They came in all sorts of colors.

Her mother nudged her awake. The dream faded from her mind.

"I have placed Mason into his bedroom alongside Eliza," Briar meowed.

"I have also moved the last can of food Death gave us to here along with our beds. We'll stay in the kitchen and living room until we leave. Maria, Mason, and Eliza will be rotting before long. We should say goodbye to them today."

Berry walked to Eliza and Mason's bedroom. They had been covered with bed sheets. She nuzzled both of them briefly.

"Bye, Eliza. Bye, Mason," she mewed.

"Thank you for taking good care of us."

Her mother engaged in a similar farewell. They headed for Maria's bedroom next door.

She nudged the yellow-haired girl's leg briefly. She drew back. Her friend felt so cold and stiff. It was not natural.

"Bye, Maria," she whimpered.

"You were a good friend to me. I will be back someday to see you off."

Briar rubbed against the dead girl's leg.

"Goodbye, Maria. You were good enough to be my daughter's friend, no matter what you thought. I hope that when you pass on, you will be able to take a walk like those of us who take such a thing for granted."

The tiny she-kit glanced at the top of the room. Would Maria's soul be able to walk like a healthy human?

The pale, cream, and brown she-cat guided her out of the house. Crows flocked around the other houses of their neighborhood. The wires that hovered above the houses had fallen to the ground. They had been slashed by claws of some kind.

The ginger tabby and white she-kit spotted one walking around Laurel's yard. Her nose caught a thick hint of blood and the slight reek of decaying flesh. The decaying smell was mixed with Laurel's scent.

Her mother froze. She bolted off the porch.

"I hope this isn't what I think this is!" she hissed.

She ran onto the white she-kit's yard. She chased the crow away.

Berry heard her mother gasp in horror. The narrow-faced she-cat's voice came out barely audible.

"Berry, please come down here. I think there's something you need to see."

The ginger tabby and white she-kit obeyed her mother's order. The scent of decay grew thicker. She suddenly spotted a fallen white she-kit under a tree.

Much of her body had been torn up, as if a large dog had savaged her. Insects were already nestling in the wounds. It was Laurel.

Several sets of bloody paw prints led away from the scene. One set of prints was large like a huge dog's paw pads. The others were small prints belonging to multiple cats. Hank, Pine, and Berry's street cat friend Scamp's scents hung heavy around the bloody paw prints.

The tiny kit drew her nose to her friend hesitantly. She pulled back. The flat-faced she-kit's body was already rotting.

"She's gone," she whimpered.

Briar lashed her long tail. She hissed at the sight.

"I'm sorry Berry. It must have been Hank. Since nearly all of the housefolk are dead, he had no one to stop him from catching Laurel. The shadow demon left different marks."

Her dark blue eyes softened.

"Let's bury her."

The ginger tabby and white she-kit tore at the earth. How could she lose her family, her owners, and her friend so close together? Why did Hank do this?

She and the pale, cream, and brown she-cat laid Laurel into the ground. They covered her up with soil.

Berry caught the scent of another cat near them as she and her mother finished burying the white she-kit. It was a tom. He cleared his throat behind them.

"How gruesome. There are dead bodies in every yard."

Briar turned around. She sat in front of her kit.

"It is. Is there anything you need?" she inquired.

The dappled she-kit turned around. The tom talking to her mother was a large black cat with a few scars on his body. He bowed his head.

"Yes, miss. I came into town last night from some rolling hills. The entire place was quiet. I saw human corpses on nearly every patch of grass."

The thin she-cat told a brief version of yesterday's events.

"Some large black monster cats attacked all of the housefolk living in town. It was horrible. I came back from a walk with my daughter Berry here, and we discovered that our owners were dead. Our family died as well," she whispered.

"We will soon be leaving so somewhere else. It isn't safe here anymore."

The black tom bowed his head.

"My condolences for your losses. I imagine that you haven't been out of your town before?"

The thin queen shook her head. The tom glanced out into the street.

"If you head right on this street, it will eventually bring you to some hills. The hills lead to five groups of cats called the Clans," he meowed.

"They are looking for outsiders to join them right now. They take good care of their own. They live around a large body of water called a lake. Each of the Clans have a certain kind of skill that makes them different from the others."

The pale, cream, and brown she-cat twitched her large ears.

"Really? What kinds of skills?" she inquired.

The black tom scratched his muzzle for a moment.

"ThunderClan has cats that hunt well in the forest undergrowth, ShadowClan cats hunt well at night, RiverClan cats are able to swim and hunt fish, SkyClan cats can jump high, and WindClan cats run very fast," he explained.

"You actually have the same build as WindClan cats do. Small, but wiry. They would accept you in a heartbeat."

The queen encircled Berry with her tail.

"Thank you," she purred.

"Would you know anything about hunting her food? I've never done it before."

The tom nodded. He sank into a crouch.

"When you're hunting, you need to keep your body low to the ground," he described.

"You need to check for any fallen leaves, twigs, or stones that could trip you up. Your tail should point straight ahead of you. You need to ready your hind legs for leaping, and your front paws for pouncing."

He pulled his tail above his body. He stepped lightly on the ground.

"You should begin with hunting mice. They're the easiest things to hunt. You just need to step lightly so they don't hear you. Birds can fly away, and squirrels can climb up trees. I wouldn't get disappointed if you fail at first. The only two things you should not eat are rats, and carrion. They will get you sick."

He rose back into a sitting position. He curled his tail around his body.

"You should look for drinking water that looks clear, and doesn't have any rubbish floating inside it," he continued.

"Journeying to the Clans will take a few days. You should travel as much as you can by day, and find a place to settle by evening. A lot of nasty animals that hate cats come out at night. One of them is foxes. They have ginger pelts, a tapering muzzle, and a desire to kill small animals for food. They are similar to dogs. They could make a snack out of your daughter in a mere second."

Berry nuzzled into her mother's chest.

"Anything else?" she squeaked.

The black tom softened his orange gaze.

"Badgers, little one," he mewed.

"They are black with a stripe of white down the middle, have small ears, and possess tapering muzzles. They will kill cats just because they can. They are very large, so a cat should never take on a badger alone. They and foxes have musky scents. Check for them before choosing somewhere as a nest."

Briar nuzzled her daughter's head. She turned to the stranger.

"Thank you. You have been very helpful. What is your name?"

The black tom dipped his head.

"My name is Spider, miss. I hope you have good luck in making it to the Clans."

The pale, cream, and brown she-cat dipped her head back.

"My name is Briar. I hope you stay safe."

Spider walked down the street away from them. A few other house cats ventured out of their houses to speak with him.

Berry slept one last night in hers and her mother's house. They curled up together on one of the plush cat beds. She dreamed of the large forest again with the gray tabby and the different flowers.

Her mother nuzzled her awake. Sunlight came through the windows.

"Berry, it's time to get up," she purred.

The pale, cream, and brown queen shared the last can of cat food with her daughter. The ginger tabby and white she-kit relished how good it tasted.

"Did you put it in Mason's refrigerator?" she asked.

The queen let out a _mrrow_. She nodded.

"He never found out that I could open it," she chuckled.

"I remembered that Mason and Eliza placed food in the refrigerator so it didn't spoil. It's a pity that all of that food is going to go to waste. I don't think it's working well anymore. The refrigerator's warmer than it should be."

A light went off in the ginger tabby and white she-kit's head. Surely, not all of it had to go to waste...

"Hey mum, can we see if anyone might like the meat or eggs in the refrigerator before we leave?" she asked.

"I would like to say goodbye to Pine, Nicole, Scamp, Rosie, and Aunt Olivia."

If she was going to leave, she wished to say farewell to her friends and relatives. They deserved to know that she and her mother were leaving.

Briar purred. She licked the tiny kit's head.

"What a great idea, Berry!" she exclaimed.

"We'll visit Olivia and Rosie across the street, tell them what is happening, and offer them the food in the fridge. I know that your aunt has opened up her housefolk's fridge on her own in the past. I don't think we will find Pine, Scamp, and Nicole, however. Pine and Scamp seem to have chased Hank far away. Other cats have gone into hiding. I wouldn't doubt that Nicole is one of them."

The pale, cream, and brown queen and the ginger tabby and white she-kit departed their house for the last time. Rain fell heavily from the sky. It plastered the cat and kitten's fur to their bodies. They crossed the street to Rosie and Olivia's house. A bush in the yard was covered in their scent.

Briar approached the bush cautiously.

"Olivia? Rosie? Are you there?" she called out.

"It's Briar."

A white she-cat with a frost gray face and ears poked her head out of the bushes. Her bright blue eyes were darkened with grief.

"Sister, it is so nice to see you," she whispered.

"Did the monster cat attack your family too?"

The pale, cream, and brown she-cat bowed her head.

"Yes. It claimed all of my owners, Jack, Matt, and all of my kits but Berry."

Olivia exited the bush. She rubbed her sister's sides.

"I'm so sorry Briar," she murmured.

"My owners have been killed too, and my mate. Rosie has been injured. A friendly alley cat treated her, but she's sleeping a lot. I think she's in shock about what happened."

Briar nuzzled the she-cat's neck.

"At least she is alive," she comforted the mostly white queen.

"Part of why I am here is to tell you that Berry and I are leaving. Things will get out of control with our housefolk dead. Berry suggested that we offer you the meat and eggs in our owners' fridge. They will not need it anymore."

Olivia gasped.

"You're leaving? When?"

Her sister rubbed against the white she-cat with a frosty gray face, ears, paws, and tail. She grimaced.

"Today. Berry and I have been told of a safe place to live outside of the town. If you go in our house to take the eggs and meat, avoid the bedrooms. We were not able to bury Mason, Eliza, or Maria properly. They're going to decay soon."

Berry made a few small steps towards her aunt.

"Can you tell Rosie goodbye for me?" she whimpered.

The very thin she-cat licked her head.

"Of course I will, sweetie. I will tell her when she wakes up again. Thank you for giving us your meat and eggs."

Her mother nuzzled the white queen with a frosty gray face, ears, paws, and tail.

"This is goodbye Olivia," Briar mewed sadly.

Olivia rubbed the pale, cream, and brown she-cat's side.

"Goodbye, Briar. Goodbye, Berry. I hope you stay safe."

Berry mewed a goodbye to her aunt. She tried searching for her friends, but there was no recent scent of them present. Her mother had been right.

She and the pale, cream, and brown queen walked down the road. It was not long before hard streets turned to springy grass. Their hometown faded behind them.

* * *

The first couple of nights were tough. Finding clean water and safe places to sleep was not that difficult. How hard was it to know what clean water smelled like, or if a shelter would protect you from the elements?

But, Berry and her mother had been pets for their entire lives. It took the ginger tabby and white she-kit two days to catch her first mouse. It was a small thing that had probably just left its mother. She knew hunger for the first time in her life.

The nightmares had not helped at all. They and the constant traveling left her tired.

It was not all bad. Briar's fur started to grow back where Hank had tore at her pelt. A small scar formed on the thin she-cat's hindleg from where the dog had bitten her. She and the dappled she-kit had fun seeing new things like streams and different kinds of birds. They talked about their dead owners and family each evening.

Sometimes, she would fear that her kin and housefolk would come back and believe that they were missing. Her mother reassured her in a somber tone that the dead never came back to life whenever she voiced this fear.

"We have not abandoned them," the pale and mottled she-cat purred.

"They have died. When Death releases their souls, they will know what happened to us. They will understand why we left our home."

The tiny she-kit gasped upon seeing the lake. Their new home was so close now! It was just like in her dreams.

"How do we get a Clan's attention?" she asked her mother.

The pale, cream, and brown queen pulled her close with her tail.

"We'll wait for them to notice us," she purred.

"They will smell us sooner or later."

They sprinted down the hills. A stream separating the hills from the forest came into view. It winded into more hills.

Briar abruptly grabbed her daughter by her scruff. She plunged into the water. The ginger tabby and white she-kit shivered in her mother's grip. She scented cats nearby.

A voice called out all of a sudden.

"Stop! What are you doing on ThunderClan territory?"

A dark cream she-cat, an aging dark ginger she-cat with a white forepaw, an old fluffy white tom, and an old ginger and white she-cat with a nasty scar on one side of her face bolted out of the undergrowth. Berry hung from her mother's jaws.

"Excuse me," the thin she-cat began.

"Are you accepting new Clan members? My daughter and I need a safe place to stay."

Her voice was muffled by the kit's fur.

The aging ginger she-cat approached. She sniffed them at a decent distance.

"We are, as a matter of fact," the she-cat mewed carefully.

"Please don't feel offended, but I needed to check you. Part of why we are looking for new Clan members is because a severe illness has made its way through the Clans. The disease is called the blood dirt fever. Many cats have died. Cats easily pass it on to others once they are infected."

Briar stiffened.

"Are there any infected cats still around? I don't want anything to happen to my daughter."

The old white tom shook his head.

"No. Even when we had a lot of infected cats, we isolated them in a secluded corner of our territory. We will take you to our camp. But, you will need to see our medicine cat before anything else. Our medicine cat can tell if a cat is ill better than we can."

The four cats escorted them into a camp full of cats. Cats around the camp turned to look at the strangers. They stayed a fair distance away. The four cats guided them into a cave with bramble tendrils obscuring the entrance. An older gray tabby tom met them inside.

"What is it now? Did someone lodge a thorn in their pad again?" he groaned.

The old ginger she-cat shook her head.

"No. We have a queen wishing to join ThunderClan and her kit. They didn't smell like those with the blood dirt fever, but we wanted you to make sure. Can you do a check-up, Jayfeather?"

The older gray tabby tom nodded. He dipped his head.

"Of course. I don't want us to lose anyone else."

Jayfeather examined Briar first. He sniffed all over the thin queen.

"She is not infected," he assured.

He rubbed his paws all over her small body. The she-cat stood calmly during all of this. It was similar to the times she and her family had been brought to the vet for checkups.

"The only thing that might be wrong with her is that she hasn't had a good meal in a while," the gray tabby reported.

"If Bramblestar lets her stay, and I have no doubt that he will, fetch her the plumpest squirrel on the fresh-kill pile tonight. She also needs some rest."

The small queen nudged Berry forward. Jayfeather's blue eyes stared at her for a second before he checked her over. The tiny she-kit allowed him to palpate her. Her mind cried for some sleep.

"She is not sick, but also needs some good prey in her belly. She is very tired," the older gray tabby declared.

"Has she not been sleeping well lately?"

Briar shook her head.

"No. For the last couple of days, she has been writhing in her sleep. She has been crying out for her littermates, her father, her uncle, and our owners. We had gone on a walk only to find them all dead. A large monster cat had slaughtered them," she whispered.

The cats around them froze.

"Like the shadow cats of the Dark Forest plaguing our territory…" the dark cream she-cat whispered.

The ginger she-cat bowed her head.

"I am so sorry. I'm getting Bramblestar," she mewed.

Berry's dark blue eyes grew heavy. She fell asleep in a warm mossy nest with her mother lying beside her. Only one nightmare came during her rest.

She learned after waking up from her nap that Bramblestar was the leader of ThunderClan. He had accepted them as new Clan members while she had been asleep. She and her pale, cream, and brown mother would stay in the medicine den until room was made for them in the nursery. That was where kits under six moons old and their mothers lived.

It suited the ginger tabby and white she-kit fine. ThunderClan had more cats than she had met in her entire life. They shared a den with Jayfeather and one other cat.

She opened her mouth in shock when a dark brown she-cat dragged herself into the medicine den by her front paws alone during the evening. Her back legs trailed uselessly behind her.

Berry forced her gaze to the den floor. This cat had the same problem Maria did! She missed her yellow-haired friend.

"Good evening Jayfeather," the dark brown she-cat meowed.

"Did anyone have to come in for injuries? I spent my day looking after the nursery. The camp seemed excited about two new cats joining us."

The gray tabby tom shook his head.

"No one but the new arrivals. I checked them for the blood dirt fever. They don't have it, but they are tired and need a decent meal. I'm going to fetch some fresh-kill for us."

Jayfeather turned around. He exited the medicine den.

Briarlight approached the dappled she-kit and her mother.

"Hello. I'm Briarlight," she introduced.

"I often assist Jayfeather in the medicine den."

Briar sat up in the moss-covered nest. She purred.

"What a coincidence. My name is Briar. This is my daughter Berry."

The dark brown she-cat peered at the tiny she-kit.

"She looks a little scared," she commented.

"Is this her first time around a lot of cats?"

The pale queen with a brown and cream muzzle, ears, legs, and tail nodded.

"Yes. But, I think you're reminding her of a lost friend of hers. She was unable to use her back legs. The shadow cat that killed our family slaughtered her. We were forced to leave our home after that."

The crippled she-cat bowed her head.

"How horrible. Does that mean…" she trailed off.

The thin she-cat's eyes glistened. She stared down at the mossy nest.

"Yes. My other three kits, my mate, my mate's littermate, our owners, and our owners' she-kit are all gone. She and Berry had been such good friends. I can't stand the thought of losing her too."

The dark brown she-cat licked Briar on the ear.

"Don't worry. We'll keep her safe here," she reassured.

Jayfeather reentered the den with several pieces of prey in his jaws. He sat two squirrels in front of the pale, cream, and brown queen and the ginger tabby and white she-kit.

"These were the largest I could find," he explained.

"Don't eat them too fast. When what the last time you had a meal?"

Briar twitched her large ears.

"Yesterday. I managed to find a small mouse to share with Berry. It didn't fill us up that much," she informed the gray tabby medicine cat.

The small gray tabby shook his head.

"Figures. Eat what you can. Bramblestar will speak with you in the morning."

The ginger tabby and white she-kit glanced at one squirrel. She took a bite. It tasted so good! She had to stop herself from eating too fast.

After she and her mother cleaned the blood from their meal from their whiskers, she observed Jayfeather sorting dried flowers into piles. She watched in interest. He sorted a sweet-smelling plant with fern-like leaves and a yellow flower resembling a dandelion into separate piles.

Should she ask what those plants are? She saw them in her dreams.

The gray tabby suddenly turned his blue gaze to her.

"Are you seeing something you like?" he mewed.

Berry returned his gaze.

"What are the plants you're sorting?" she inquired.

The gray tabby medicine cat gestured to the sweet-smelling fern-like plant first with his tail.

"As a medicine cat, I have to use a lot of different herbs to heal my Clanmates," he explained.

"The sweet-smelling fern-like plant is chervil. I use it on cats when they're complaining of bellyache, have an infected wound, or are kitting."

He brought his tail to the yellow flower next. The dappled she-kit watched intently.

"The dandelion-like flower is coltsfoot," he continued.

"It eases breathing, and does a wonder for sore and cracked pads."

A yawn escaped Berry's mouth as she listened in fascination. She settled back down in her nest. She closed her dark blue eyes.

The ginger tabby and white she-kit dreamed of an older version of herself. She was in the medicine den with Jayfeather. They sorted herbs together.

A few cats came into the den with wounds. She helped the gray tabby rub herbs on the injuries. The wounds gradually disappeared. Her chest burned with a warm feeling.

Encountering Briarlight led to a few nightmares about Maria. She screamed at the kit for leaving her in one. In another, Berry dreamed of the yellow-haired girl's body being feasted on by crows and maggots. The nightmares were replaced by the memory of her first successful catch with her mother.

She woke up to Briar licking her back. The nightmares faded, but the dreams about working with Jayfeather and her first mouse did not.

The pale, cream, and brown she-cat and Berry wolfed down a mouse and a finch for breakfast. Bramblestar escorted them to a thick bramble thicket inside of the camp.

"This is our nursery," he explained.

"There are two other queens with kits living in here right now. Poppyfrost has a son and a daughter around Berry's age. Dovewing's kits are one moon old. They're a little small for rough play."

They entered the bramble thicket. The large brown tabby continued speaking.

"Both Poppyfrost and Dovewing are kind cats. They will help you feel at home here. I will let you settle in for a few days before you begin training with a cat on how to hunt and fight. The training sessions will be brief since you still have a kit to take care of."

A pale tortoiseshell and white she-cat approached the group. A gray tortoiseshell and white she-kit and a ginger tom-kit peeked from behind her. They were a little larger than Berry.

"Are these our new denmates?" the tortoiseshell and white she-cat purred.

Bramblestar nodded. He nudged the mother and daughter pair forward.

"Yes. The pale she-cat with mottled brown and cream around her muzzle, ears, legs, and tail is Briar. Her dappled ginger tabby and white kit is called Berry."

The ginger tom-kit stared at them.

"Their ears are huge!" he exclaimed.

"And, their tails look so long. What are those objects around their necks?"

The tortoiseshell and white she-cat cuffed him on the ear.

"Rowankit, you're being rude!" she scolded.

"If you misbehave, I won't let you visit Graystripe and Brackenfur later. You'll have to stay in the nursery all by yourself."

Rowankit drooped his ears. The tortoiseshell and white queen bowed her head.

"I apologize for Rowankit's behavior," she mewed.

"He learned to be obnoxious from his father Berrynose. He tried being a good father, but he had not exactly been a good example for young kits."

Briar shook her head.

"Kits will be rude sometimes. They haven't learned good manners yet. My name is Briar."

The pale tortoiseshell and white she-cat nuzzled her cheek.

"My name is Poppyfrost. Welcome to ThunderClan."

Berry peered at the gray tortoiseshell and white she-kit behind Poppyfrost. She approached the other she-kit slowly. Hopefully, she was kinder than Rowankit.

The gray tortoiseshell and white she-kit took several steps forward.

"I'm sorry about my brother," she mewed.

"He acts like a mousebrain sometimes. I'm Turtlekit. What's your name?"

The dappled she-kit purred.

"My name's Berry. Nice to meet you."

She nuzzled the gray tortoiseshell and white kit as the older cats spoke.

"Now Briar," Bramblestar warned.

"You and Berry might want to get rid of your collars before much else. Rowankit will not be the only one to comment on such things. You've probably noticed that cats in the Clans have two part names. You might want to put some thought into what you want yourself and Berry to be called in the future."

The pale, cream, and brown she-cat glanced at her pink collar. She nodded rapidly.

"I never thought about before," she confessed.

"When I had first heard of the Clans, I just focused on getting here to keep Berry safe. I had no idea what was considered appropriate. Where can we dispose of our collars?"

The huge dark brown tabby tom gestured to outside of the nursery.

"Right outside of the camp," he informed the thin queen.

"Poppyfrost can take you out tomorrow. In the meantime, why don't you and Berry visit the elders' den once you're settled in? Graystripe and Brackenfur wouldn't mind you asking about Clan life."

She curled her long tail around her body.

"I think I will do that. Thank you."

Berry spent much of her first day in the nursery napping. She was still not recovered from her exhaustion. She woke up to play toss the moss ball with Turtlekit in the afternoon. Learning a new game had been fun.

She did not interact with Dovewing or her kits very much. The gray she-cat was mostly focused on her litter. For a good reason, mind – Drizzlekit and her brother Pinekit were only one moon old. They wandered away from their mother if her attention lapsed.

Pinekit in particular staggered a lot. It was like he wished to move one way and his body jerked in the opposite direction.

She paid her first visit to the elders' den after dinner.

Poppyfrost led them to a den built under the boughs of the beech tree. An old brown tabby tom with a graying muzzle raised his head from his nest.

"Poppyfrost, how nice of you and your kits to visit," the brown tabby purred.

"Are these our new Clanmates?"

The pale tortoiseshell and white queen nodded. She nudged her kits forward.

"Yes," she mewed.

"The thin pale she-cat with brown and cream mottled around her muzzle, ears, legs, and tail is Briar. Her dappled ginger tabby and white she-kit is called Berry. I thought it would be good to have them visit, father."

Brackenfur rose from his nest. He stretched out his back before nudging a longhaired gray tom snoozing next to him.

"Graystripe, wake up," the brown tabby mewed.

"Poppyfrost and her kits have come to visit. So have the two new arrivals."

Graystripe blearily opened his yellow eyes. He blinked them slowly.

"Is that so?" he meowed.

He beckoned to Berry and her mother.

"I'm Graystripe. Is this your first time seeing the elders' den?" he asked.

Briar nodded.

"Yes. Poppyfrost said that you and Brackenfur could teach us a little about the Clans," she meowed carefully.

The gray tom purred.

"You've come to the right place," he declared.

"Don't worry. I don't bite. Why don't I tell you about the basics of the Clans and how they were first formed?"

Berry listened avidly to the tale. The Clans had begun countless seasons ago in a faraway forest. Cats living in the wild divided themselves into groups under different leaders. These wild cats eventually fought in a huge battle around a landmark known as Fourtrees over their territories. Countless cats died.

Then, the spirits of the slain cats appeared to the survivors. "Unite or die," they had said. The groups gradually divided into the five Clans existing to this day – ThunderClan, WindClan, ShadowClan, RiverClan, and SkyClan.

The groups chose their leaders sometime after the battle. The spirits of the dead cats formed into their own Clan, StarClan. All good Clan cats traveled there when they died. The StarClan cats granted each of the new Clan leaders nine lives.

The ginger tabby and white she-kit stumbled back in shock upon hearing that tidbit.

"Nine lives?" she sputtered.

"I thought that was just a myth!"

Graystripe chuckled.

"It's all true little one," he assured.

"The StarClan cats give the nine lives to new Clan leaders in a secretive ceremony. They used to have it performed at a shining rock known as the Moonstone back in the forest. It's now done at the Moonpool. It's a large pool of water in the hills connected to the stream between ThunderClan and WindClan territory."

The dappled she-kit listened to Brackenfur explain the ranks of the Clan cats and their responsibilities. Kits were not allowed outside of camp until they were six moons old, which confused her some.

"Didn't Bramblestar say that we were going outside of the camp to remove our collars tomorrow?" she asked aloud.

Her mother nodded. Graystripe purred.

"You are allowed out with an older cat supervising you," he explained.

Brackenfur resumed his explanations about Clan cat ranks and behavior. Kits over six moons old were apprenticed to older warriors. They learned hunting, fighting, and the laws of the Clans' warrior code. Warriors fed their Clan, patrolled their Clan's borders, defended the camp from attack, carried out attacks on other Clans if needed, and mentored apprentices. The queens took care of kits, even if the kits were not theirs.

Elders such as Brackenfur and Graystripe were cats who gave up their duties because of old age or significant conditions. The Clan's apprentices cared for them. Their only responsibilities were telling other cats stories about the Clan's earlier days, preparing a dead Clan cat for burial, and defending the camp if it was attacked.

"It took a long time to accept that I was slowing down," Brackenfur admitted.

"It doesn't help that my littermates Brightheart and Thornclaw are still active warriors. But, one day I realized that I couldn't move like I used to. My eyesight had started growing cloudy. Once I accepted what was going on, I asked Bramblestar if I could move in with my former mentor Graystripe. He had been very lonely."

Graystripe stared at his mossy nest.

"And that had been very kind of you," the gray tom purred.

Tears glistened in his yellow eyes.

"I had been all alone for several moons in this den. Sandstorm died when she, Molewhisker, Cherryfall, Alderheart, and Sparkpelt had gone to find SkyClan at the gorge. Then, the illness came. It claimed Purdy, my beloved Millie, Dewnose, Daisy, Berrynose, Leafpaw, Twigtail's litter, Ivypool's kits, Mousewhisker, Fernsong, and my daughter Blossomfall."

Brackenfur licked the longhaired tom's ear.

"We will see them again in StarClan," the brown tabby reassured him.

He refocused his attention to their visitors.

"Graystripe has had a rough few moons," he mewed.

"Please be kind. To get back on the subject of Clan ranks, there are deputies whom are second only to the leader in command. The Clan leader chooses the deputy, although a wise leader will keep the opinions of their Clan in mind. They take over should the leader die. They must have mentored at least one apprentice prior to accepting the position."

Berry's large ears twitched in interest. Deputies were like an apprentice to the Clan leader; they assisted the leader in their tasks in addition to regular warrior duties. They organized border patrols, arranged training sessions for warriors to brush up on their skills, made reports to the Clan leader, and took the leader's place if they were ill or otherwise unavailable.

The ginger tabby and white she-kit remembered Jayfeather. What did medicine cats do besides the obvious? She spoke up.

"What about medicine cats like Jayfeather?" she inquired.

"What tasks do they do?"

Graystripe sat higher in his nest. He groomed his shoulder.

"You're a sharp one," he chuckled.

"A medicine cat is responsible for the health of all of their Clanmates. They treat wounded or ill cats, know all of the herbs that can heal a cat, gather herbs to store in their den for treating patients, assist the queens while kitting, check on their Clanmates' health regularly, and eventually train an apprentice to succeed them."

Brackenfur grew still in his nest.

"That is not all a medicine cat does. They are the cats most frequently in contact with StarClan," he meowed gravely.

"The medicine cats of each Clan visit the Moonpool together to share dreams with StarClan every half-moon. StarClan occasionally sends down omens and prophecies that the medicine cats interpret. They also visit the Moonpool when a new leader travels there to receive their nine lives, or if there is a crisis urgent enough that it requires direct contact with StarClan."

The dappled she-kit wriggled. Turtlekit puffed out her chest.

"They aren't allowed to fall in love or have kits, are they?"

Graystripe sighed. He closed his eyes.

"I'm afraid that's right, Turtlekit. When a cat becomes a full medicine cat, they must vow never to take a mate."

Briar leaned forward. She quirked her head.

"Why is that?" she asked with concern laced in her voice.

The gray tom stared at his nest.

"It's so the medicine cat is not distracted from their duties," he explained.

"They can still bond with other family members, and have friends. But, their first commitments are to the well being of their whole Clan and to StarClan. The consequences of a medicine cat breaking this rule can be severe."

The longhaired tom let out a deep breath.

"Our previous medicine cat Leafpool disobeyed it. She gave birth to three kits, including Jayfeather. She gave them to her sister Squirrelflight to raise. Jayfeather and his siblings Lionblaze and Hollyleaf discovered the secret as young warrior-aged cats. Leafpool, her kits, and her sister were disgraced thanks to her breaking this rule. Leafpool was forbidden from practicing medicine for a time, and eventually left the Clans altogether with the father of her kits."

Berry shuddered. Why hadn't Leafpool thought about how her actions would affect her family? But, her mind raced with the duties a medicine cat tended to. Their role was similar to a vet. She leaned forward.

"How is a medicine cat apprentice chosen?" she voiced.

Brackenfur purred at the tiny kit.

"No one is quite sure," he admitted.

"Most medicine cats show interest in helping out in the medicine den from the time they can walk. It's said that StarClan sends them mysterious dreams even while they're so young. Not all become medicine cats willingly. Some are forced to become medicine cats because of being crippled while young or other circumstances."

The brown tabby's gaze grew distant.

"My littermate Cinderpelt was such a case. She wanted to become a warrior, but she had broken her leg. It never healed properly. Jayfeather was also forced into his position because of being born blind. He hated having no choice in the matter."

Brackenfur stared at his nest. His voice grew grave.

"His former apprentice Alderheart had changed from being a warrior apprentice to a medicine cat apprentice as he had not taken to warrior training well. He disliked it, and eventually became a regular warrior after nights of secretly training his warrior skills. I personally believe that forcing a cat into a certain position is not healthy."

The brown tabby and Graystripe then spoke about the Clan leaders. The leaders had the final say on assigning apprentices to mentors, promoting apprentices to warriors, dealing with conflicts, appointing a new deputy if the old one died, exiling Clan members who have severely broken the warrior code, and allowing non-Clan cats such as Berry and her mother to join a Clan.

They represented their Clans at Gatherings of all five Clans held at the full moon, performed regular warrior duties, called Clan meetings if needed, led their Clan into battles, counseled with the deputy and senior warriors, and discussed prophecies and omens with their medicine cat. It was a lot to take in.

Berry released a yawn from her mouth. Turtlekit hid her muzzle with her tail. Rowankit stumbled on his paws.

Poppyfrost glanced outside.

"It's late," she observed.

"Briar, why don't we take Berry, Turtlekit, and Rowankit back into the nursery for bed? You can hear more about Clan life tomorrow."

The pale, cream, and brown she-cat nodded. She turned to the elders.

"It was nice meeting you, but Berry is tired," she meowed.

"We'll come back when she is well rested."

Graystripe nodded.

"It was nice meeting you too," he purred.

"Don't worry about asking any questions. You can give them to Brackenfur or me. We'll help you the best we can."

The ginger tabby and white she-kit stumbled to her new nest in the nursery. She only experienced one nightmare involving Laurel's death at Hank's paws. She imagined the gray and white dog tearing at the white kit's flesh. The wolf-like dog's blue eyes radiated a certain hunger that the tiny kit never wished to know.

The dark dream switched to the dappled she-kit and her mother removing their collars. The air felt so nice brushing around her neck. Briar buried the red and pink collars under a tree.

The scene flashed to an older Berry. Old enough to have silver fur on her white muzzle. She and a younger dark speckled tortoiseshell she-cat approached the collar burial site. The now old ginger tabby and white she-cat dug the collars up. She held the ruined collars in her mouth. A familiar tall skeleton stood behind them with what could be called a smile on his face. All three of them headed east, towards the thin she-kit's old town.

Was this a vision of the future? Peace washed over her. She would one day see Maria off. Perhaps she would bury hers and her mother's collars alongside their family. That was a nice thought. Berry slept well that night.

* * *

Past Allegiances

ThunderClan

Leader: Bramblestar – Old dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Deputy: Squirrelflight – Aging dark ginger she-cat with green eyes and one white forepaw

Medicine Cat: Jayfeather – Older gray tabby tom with blind blue eyes

Medicine Cat Apprentice: None

Warriors:

Cloudtail – Old longhaired white tom with blue eyes

Thornclaw – Old golden-brown tabby tom with green eyes

Brightheart – Old white she-cat with ginger patches and blue eyes

Whitewing – Aging white she-cat with green eyes

Birchfall – Older light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Cinderheart – Older gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Lionblaze – Older golden tabby tom with amber eyes

Rosepetal – Dark cream she-cat with blue eyes

Briarlight – Paralyzed dark brown she-cat with blue eyes

Bumblestripe – Very pale gray tom with black stripes and amber eyes

Ivypool – Silver tabby and white she-cat with blue eyes

Cherryfall – Ginger she-cat with amber eyes

Molewhisker – Brown and cream tom with amber eyes

Snowbush – Fluffy white tom with amber eyes

Ambermoon – Pale ginger she-cat with amber eyes

Stormcloud – Gray tabby tom with blue eyes

Hollytuft – Black she-cat with green eyes and tufts on her ears (Cinderheart and Lionblaze's daughter)

Sorrelstripe – Dark brown she-cat with blue eyes (Cinderheart and Lionblaze's daughter)

Alderheart – Dark ginger tom with amber eyes (Squirrelflight and Bramblestar's son)

Sparkpelt – Orange tabby she-cat with green eyes (Squirrelflight and Bramblestar's son)

Larkblaze – Black tom with blue eyes (Lilyheart and Snowbush's son)

Honeyfur – White she-cat with yellow splotches and amber eyes (Lilyheart and Snowbush's daughter)

Twigtail – Tiny gray she-cat with green eyes, formerly of SkyClan (Pebbleshine and Hawkstar's daughter)

Tigerheart – Older dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes, formerly of ShadowClan

Curlewfoot – Brown tabby tom with yellow eyes and a notch in his ear, former rogue

Apprentices:

None

Queens:

Dovewing – Pale gray she-cat with blue eyes

Mother of Tigerheart's kits: Pinekit and Drizzlekit

Poppyfrost – Older pale tortoiseshell and white she-cat with blue eyes

Mother of Berrynose's kits: Turtlekit and Rowankit

Kits:

Turtlekit – Gray tortoiseshell and white she-kit with pale blue eyes

Rowankit – Large ginger tom-kit with amber eyes

Pinekit – Dark brown tabby tom-kit with green eyes, is wobbly

Drizzlekit – Silver-gray she-kit with dark blue eyes

Elders:

Graystripe – Old longhaired gray tom with amber eyes

Brackenfur – Old brown tabby tom with amber eyes

ShadowClan

Leader: Rowanstar – Old dark ginger tom with green eyes

Deputy: Juniperclaw – Sleek black tom with blue eyes (Dawnpelt and Crowfrost's son)

Apprentice, Linnetpaw

Medicine Cat: Puddleshine – White tom with white splotches and blue eyes (Pinenose and Spikefur's son)

Medicine Cat Apprentice: None

Warriors:

Tawnypelt – Old tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Snowbird – Old white she-cat with green eyes

Owlclaw – Older light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Scorchfur – Dark gray tom with slashed ears and amber eyes

Dawnpelt – Older cream-furred she-cat with amber eyes

Mistcloud – Spiky-furred pale gray she-cat with blue eyes

Stoatfur – Ginger tom with green eyes

Spikefur – Dark brown tom with tufty fur on his head and green eyes

Berryheart – Black and white she-cat with blue eyes

Cloverfoot – Gray tabby she-cat with green eyes (Snowbird and Scorchfur's daughter)

Rippletail – White tom with green eyes (Berryheart and Sparrowtail's son)

Sleekfur – Yellow she-cat with amber eyes (Dawnpelt and Crowfrost's daughter)

Needletail – Sleek silver-gray she-cat with white chest fur and bold green eyes (Berryheart and Sparrowtail's daughter)

Apprentice, Blizzardpaw

Birchclaw – Beige tom with green eyes (Pinenose and Spikefur's son)

Lionfoot – Yellow she-cat with amber eyes (Pinenose and Spikefur's daughter)

Hornetcloud – Longhaired ginger she-cat with dark blue eyes, former kittypet

Apprentices:

Blizzardpaw – White she-cat with black paws and blue eyes (Rippletail's daughter)

Linnetpaw – Brown tabby tom with a white chest and green eyes (Rippletail's son)

Queens:

Pinenose – Black she-cat with amber eyes

Mother of an unknown tom's kits: Tallkit, Stormkit, Gudgeonkit, and Beetlekit

Kits:

Tallkit – Black she-kit with long legs and green eyes, is very wobbly

Stormkit – Gray tom-kit with amber eyes, is wobbly

Gudgeonkit – Spotted brown tabby she-kit with green eyes and a white chest

Beetlekit – Black tom-kit with amber eyes

Elders:

None

WindClan

Leader: Onestar – Old light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Deputy: Harespring – Older brown and white tom with green eyes

Medicine Cat: Kestrelflight – Older mottled brownish-gray tom with bright green eyes and white splotches

Medicine Cat Apprentice: None

Warriors:

Nightcloud – Aging black she-cat with amber eyes

Gorsetail – Aging very pale gray and white she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentice, Sparrowpaw

Emberfoot – Aging gray tom with darker front paws and green eyes

Leaftail – Aging dark ginger tabby tom with amber eyes

Heathertail – Older light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Breezepelt – Older black tom with amber eyes

Sedgewhisker – Older light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Crouchfoot – Ginger tom with green eyes

Larkwing – Pale gray she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentice, Shortpaw

Oatclaw – Pale brown tabby tom with green eyes

Featherpelt – Gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentice, Stoatpaw

Slightfoot – Black tom with a flash of white on his chest and amber eyes

Brindletail – Mottled brown she-cat with blue eyes (Heathertail and Breezepelt's daughter)

Apprentice, Willowpaw

Basilwhisker – Spotted gray tabby tom with amber eyes, former loner

Apprentices:

Sparrowpaw – Striped light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes (Featherpelt's daughter)

Willowpaw – Gray tabby tom with green eyes, is very wobbly (Featherpelt's son)

Stoatpaw – Small ginger tom with amber eyes, former kittypet

Shortpaw – Small dark gray she-cat with green eyes, former loner

Queens:

None

Kits:

None

Elders:

Whitetail – Small white she-cat with blue eyes

Whiskernose – Light brown tom with amber eyes

RiverClan

Leader: Mistystar – Old blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes

Deputy: Reedwhisker – Aging sleek black tom with dark gray eyes

Medicine Cat: Mothwing – Aging golden tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Medicine Cat Apprentice: Willowshine – Older dark gray tabby she-cat with green eyes

Warriors:

Duskfur – Aging brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Icewing – Aging white she-cat with blue eyes

Minnowtail – Older dark gray she-cat with amber eyes and fluffy fur

Mallownose – Older light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Petalfur – Older gray and white she-cat with amber eyes

Pikeclaw – Large dark gray tom with green eyes

Podlight – Sturdy gray and white tom with blue eyes

Apprentice, Molepaw

Curlfeather **–** Pale brown she-cat with amber eyes

Lakeheart – Gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Shimmerpelt – Silver she-cat with green eyes

Perchwing – Gray and white she-cat with blue eyes

Jaywing – Gray tom with green eyes (Petalfur and Mallownose's son)

Brackenpelt – Tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes (Petalfur and Mallownose's daughter)

Apprentice, Swanpaw

Owlnose – Brown tabby tom with amber eyes (Petalfur and Mallownose's son)

Foxnose – Russet tabby tom with amber eyes

Cypresswhisker – Pale gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes (Lakeheart and Lizardtail's daughter)

Apprentice, Chanterellepaw

Yarrowwhisker – Pale ginger tom with blue eyes, former rogue

Egretstream – Fluffy deaf white tom with frosty blue eyes, former loner

Apprentices:

Chanterellepaw – Light ginger she-cat with pale green eyes, is wobbly (Brackenpelt and Yarrowwhisker's daughter)

Molepaw – Black tom with blue eyes (Brackenpelt and Yarrowwhisker's son)

Swanpaw – White she-cat with dark blue eyes and a small ginger patch on her head, former loner

Queens:

Havenpelt – Black and white she-cat with amber eyes

Mother of an unknown tom's kits: Spiderkit, Bleakkit, and Gullkit

Kits:

Spiderkit – Black tom-kit with dark amber eyes

Bleakkit – Silver tabby she-kit with a white chest and paws, and blue eyes

Gullkit – Gray tabby and white tom-kit with amber eyes, is wobbly

Elders:

Mosspelt – Very old tortoiseshell and white she-cat with blue eyes

SkyClan

Leader: Leafstar – Old brown and cream tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Deputy: Hawkwing – Small dark gray tom with yellow eyes (Cherrytail and Sharpclaw's son)

Medicine Cat: Mossleaf – Pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes, white paws, and a white tail tip, former loner

Medicine Cat Apprentice: None

Warriors:

Tinycloud – Aging small white she-cat with deep blue eyes

Mintfur – Aging short-legged gray tabby she-cat with deep green eyes

Birdwing – Aging black she-cat with a gray muzzle, bright green eyes, and a scar over one eye

Harrybrook – Older gray tom with a paler muzzle and underside, and amber eyes

Cloudmist – Older small white she-cat with blue eyes (Cherrytail and Sharpclaw's daughter)

Apprentice, Avocetpaw

Blossomheart – Ginger and white she-cat with blue eyes (Cherrytail and Sharpclaw's daughter)

Whinchattail – Pale brown tabby she-cat with bright green eyes (Mintfur and Nettlesplash's daughter)

Dovenose – Gray tabby tom with deep green eyes (Mintfur and Nettlesplash's son)

Finwhisker – Brown tom with ginger legs and amber eyes (Plumwillow and Sandynose's son)

Falconheart – Heavily scarred gray and white she-cat with light green eyes, is blind in her right eye, former kittypet

Apprentice, Cedarpaw

Violetheart – Black and white she-cat with amber eyes, formerly of ShadowClan (Pebbleshine and Hawkstar's daughter)

Gingerstrike – Ginger tom with a white tail tip and amber eyes, former rogue

Apprentice, Warblerpaw

Diverleap – Black and white tom with green eyes, former kittypet

Ospreyspots – Small black and white she-cat with blue eyes, former loner

Silverpoppy – Small silver tabby she-cat with bright green eyes, former loner

Daisyfoot – Swift white she-cat with blue eyes and small silver tabby patches, former loner

Apprentice, Campionpaw

Ivyface – Handsome black tom with blue eyes and a white-tipped tail, former rogue

Apprentices:

Cedarpaw – Dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes, former loner

Avocetpaw – Black and white she-cat with blue eyes, former kittypet

Campionpaw – Ginger she-cat with a white chest and paws, and blue eyes (Blossomheart and Daffodilfang's daughter)

Warblerpaw – Brown tabby, ginger, and white she-cat with green eyes, former loner

Queens:

Bellaleaf – Pale orange she-cat with green eyes, former kittypet

Mother of Ivyface's kits: Flamekit and Commakit

Newtmist – Tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes, a white chest, and white paws, former loner

Expecting an unknown tom's kits

Kits:

Flamekit – Ginger tom-kit with blue eyes

Commakit – Tortoiseshell she-kit with green eyes and white paws, is very wobbly

Elders:

Sparrowpelt – Aging dark brown tabby tom with yellow eyes

Cats from Outside the Clans

Loners and Rogues

Smoky – Aging muscular gray and white tom with blue eyes, lives at the Horseplace

Coriander – Tortoiseshell and white she-cat with amber eyes, lives at the Horseplace

Mother of Smoky's kits: Dottie, Frost, Magpie, and Hornet

Dottie – Tortoiseshell and white she-kit with amber eyes, lives at the Horseplace

Frost – White tom-kit with a few gray patches and blue eyes, lives at the Horseplace

Magpie – Black she-kit with blue eyes, lives at the Horseplace

Hornet – Ginger tom-kit with amber eyes, a white chest, and a white tail tip, lives at the Horseplace

Spider – Large black tom with amber eyes and scars all over his body

Scamp – Reddish ginger tom with green eyes and a torn left ear

Former Clan Cats

Crowfeather – Aging dark gray, almost black tom with blue eyes, formerly of WindClan

Leafpool – Aging light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes, a white chest, and white paws, formerly ThunderClan medicine cat

Kittypets

Briar – Pale she-cat with a mottled brown and cream muzzle, ears, legs, and tail, and very dark blue eyes

Mother of Jack's kits: Rudy, Cloudy, Patches, and Berry

Jack – White tom with a ginger tabby patch on his right ear, and green eyes

Matt – Pale cream tabby tom with amber eyes, and a white chest and paws; Jack's brother

Rudy – Cream tom-kit with a dark brown muzzle, ears, legs, and tail, white paws, and bright blue eyes

Cloudy – Small slender white she-kit with very dark blue eyes

Patches – Small white tom-kit with cream tabby patches and very dark green eyes

Berry – Dappled ginger tabby and white she-kit with very dark blue eyes, and a long thin tail

Pine – Brown tabby tom-kit with amber eyes

Laurel – Flat-faced white she-kit with blue eyes

Olivia – White she-cat with a frosty gray muzzle, ears, legs, tail, and bright blue eyes

Mother of an unknown tom's kit: Rosie

Rosie – Nearly white she-kit with reddish brown muzzle, ears, legs, tail, and very dark blue eyes

Nicole – Tortoiseshell she-kit with a white chest and paws, and amber eyes

Tribe of Rushing Water

Stormfur – Old dark gray tom with amber eyes

Brook Where Small Fish Swim (Brook) – Old sleek brown tabby she-cat with gray eyes

Pine That Clings to Rock (Pine) – Light brown tom with gray eyes

Lark That Sings at Dawn (Lark) – Pale tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Other Animals

Hank – Male gray and white husky with pale blue eyes

Humans/Twolegs

Mason – Large black-haired man with blue eyes

Eliza – Pale-skinned woman with golden hair and green eyes

Maria – Wheelchair-bound pale-skinned girl with yellow hair and green eyes

Others

Death – Tall male skeleton with blue eyelights, wears a black cloak

* * *

A/N: Boy has this turned into a monster. Let me go over information that that not covered in the chapter.

Berry experiences her dreams of Jayfeather because of StarClan. According to _Secrets of the Clans_ , even young kits meant for the medicine cat position experience odd dreams involving StarClan. So, even if it's a so-called Mary Sue trait, she gets them to give cement her future position in ThunderClan. I tried keeping them as vague as possible.

Berry had to have that talk at the beginning of this chapter about death because she does not understand the concept. She is the equivalent of a young grade-schooler in the flashback portion of the story. Her kittypet roots left her sheltered from death until this point in her life. Kittypets live longer lives than feral cats, and don't encounter dead animals all of the time while outdoors. Her mother had no choice but to shatter her innocence.

I had Briar tell her of her experience with loss to have Berry connect with her, and to flesh out her past. She is one of the major characters in this story, so she needs a little background.

As for why she was there when her father was about to be euthanized, perhaps Rascal's illness had been a long ordeal, and her breeders requested it. They would have noticed that Briar and Olivia visited Rascal. The breeders and Eliza were not of the 'animals do not have emotions' crowd.

Death of the _Discworld_ can only be seen by the groups Briar mentioned above. I ripped the restrictions from the _Discworld_ series. As this is a multi-verse setting, let's assume that the _Warriors_ series is also home to _Harry Potter_ -verse wizards to explain why Briar might know about wizards. Again, they are rare – it is unlikely that the Clan cats will meet one or any non-magical Twolegs until many years later.

(Alternatively, _Discworld_ wizards and witches make rare appearances around the Clan territories and nearby Twolegplaces through magical mishaps.)

I had to research decomposition in detail since this chapter features a lot of corpses. Reading about day three on nearly made me lose my dinner. I hope everyone is satisfied. Dying in the house left Maria, Mason, and Eliza safe from immediate scavenging. Laurel was killed outside with gaping wounds, so the process started a little faster with her.

Siamese cats are very intelligent, and cats in general are smarter than we often give them credit for. Briar and Olivia are not the only cats that can open up doors. There are plenty of them in real life.

The illness that struck the Clans is feline panleukopenia, aka feline distemper. It is just as serious as it sounds. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and seizures. All of that vomiting and diarrhea leads to rapid dehydration. The Clan cats might be able to funnel water to cats through moss, but their capabilities for supportive care are limited. It was a bad situation.

I understand that the exposition about Clan ranks was boring. But, Berry and Briar need to learn about the culture they are joining. I also wanted to give Graystripe and Brackenfur screentime.

I gave Graystripe prominence as he is pushed aside nowadays in the main _Warriors_ series. He was once Firestar's best friend, and is the father of some of the second series' protagonists. When I read the fourth series, he didn't seem to react much when his daughter Briarlight had been injured.

He is only mentioned once in _Sign of the Moon_ , the book where a ThunderClan patrol visits the Tribe of Rushing Water. As his son Stormfur lives there, you would have thought he would have gone with the patrol, or at least be mentioned more by other cats (particularly to give Stormfur news about his father). But, it is not so.

I imagine that Graystripe feels hurt by this. In this story, he has lost both of his mates and two of his daughters. One son lives faraway from him, and his only living daughter is paralyzed. Pay attention to the next chapter when the story goes back to the present day. I have fixed the not visiting Stormfur situation. (As evidenced by his and his family's mention in the allegiances.)

Out of ThunderClan's most recent medicine cats and their apprentices, only Spottedleaf, Leafpool and Hollyleaf agreed to because medicine cat apprentices willingly. Hollyleaf switched to warrior training after a short time. Yellowfang agreed to become medicine cat when Spottedleaf was killed, but she was still forced into the role back when she lived in ShadowClan. All because she could sense the pain of other cats. And, I hear that _Spottedleaf's Heart_ is about to retcon Spottedleaf into an unwilling medicine cat as well. Really?!

Not giving a cat a choice in the matter raises a lot of issues, especially as medicine cats must remain celibate in canon. Does forcing a cat into an important position they do not want and forbids them from having a family sound like a good idea? At the very least, they will not be as dedicated to their job as a cat who has their heart in the medicine arts. Brackenfur has had a lot of time to think about this.

Brackenfur retired before his littermates as he and Cinderpelt were apprenticed earlier. That means his body has been subject to more wear and tear. And, Graystripe was left all alone in the elders' den. Part of his retirement was motivated out of concern for his former mentor.

I tried killing a lot of cats from each Clan, but I feel like I've barely made a dent. It must be because the Erins made so many of them. The illness combined with ThunderClan and WindClan's number of older warriors has set them up for a period of decline. I would like to remind everyone that the illness has made cats vulnerable to other threats. A lot of these cats alive in Dapplecloud's flashback are dead in the present day.

And, this is without going into a certain event in Berry/Dapplecloud's lifetime that rips her from Jayfeather, and leads to a bunch of warriors being exiled. Stay tuned.

I will now give a list of non-ThunderClan cats killed by the disease. They are listed by Clan, and include warriors only seen in side books ( _Code of the Clans_ , _Battles of the Clans_ , etc.). I also have a list of SkyClan cats killed by the rogues that drove them from the gorge or remained as kittypets.

ShadowClan: Stonewing, Sparrowtail, Nightwhisper, Grassheart, Ratscar, Oakfur, Yarrowleaf, Strikestone, unnamed apprentices, unnamed kits

WindClan: Hootwhisker, Smokerunner, Ferntail, unnamed apprentices, unnamed kits (their distance from SkyClan and their closeness with StarClan perhaps saved them from the worst of the disease; also, they did not have enough named characters for me to kill off.)

RiverClan: Mintfur, Heronwing, Lizardtail, Tanglefeather, Duckcloud, Sneezecloud, Nightstream, Breezefang, unnamed apprentices, unnamed kits

SkyClan: Petalnose, Rockshade, Plumwillow, Fallowfern, Macgyver, Reedfang, Dewlight, unnamed apprentices, unnamed kits

SkyClan Cats Killed By the Rogues, Remaining as Kittypets, or Dead by Other Causes: Egg, Clovertail, Harveymoon (kittypet), Sharpclaw, Echosong, Ebonyclaw (kittypet), Sandynose, Honeytail, Pebbleshine, Tangle, Bouncefire, Waspwhisker, Cherrytail, Snipkit, Curlypaw (kittypet), Fidgetpaw, Firefern, Stormheart

Berry's dream at the end of the chapter was a vision of the future. It will take a while for her family's souls to be free of the Dark Forest's taint. The land they were buried in (or left on in the cases of Eliza, Mason, and Maria) is also contaminated. Twolegs are not going to visit or live there for a long time. I wonder how the regular authorities will classify it.

Please tell me what you like about it.


	3. Part Three

Berry's Loss

Summary: A _Warriors_ three-shot in the _Ghouls of the Clans_ series. After a disastrous first outing with her new apprentice, ThunderClan's medicine cat Dapplecloud is asked about her past. She delves into a tale of cross-species friendship, the bond of a mother and her daughter, loss, and a promise she made a long time ago. Slight crossover with _Discworld_.

A/N: This three-shot is related to my old story _Ghouls of the Clans: Tigerstar's Revenge_ , a _Warriors_ crossover fanfiction I deleted years ago. I will reboot it at some point, but I wanted to start things in one-shot and short story form first.

This story takes place in two different time periods. It starts six years after _Thunder and Shadow_ , but goes back to around one year after _Thunder and Shadow_. There will be two different allegiances as a result. The present day allegiances were in the first chapter, while the past allegiances were last chapter. All allegiances will be at the bottom of chapters.

In the descriptions of the OCs, I list their parents' names. Some cats might only have one parent listed, and some pairings might be a shock.

Warnings: OCs, character death, gore, fantasy elements, supernatural elements (Dark Forest activity, a supernatural character from another series showing up), kits in life-threatening/life-ending situations, canon deviations, crossover cameo ( _Ghouls of the Clans_ started as a multi-crossover; _Berry's Loss_ and _Dapple's Return_ will be the first to reflect this.)

Canon Deviation Warnings: Lake Territory!SkyClan, Powered!Three (they did not lose their powers permanently), Medicine Cats Allowed Mates and Kits (in the present, not so much in the past), Altered Cat Descriptions (the Erins have not been consistent on cats' appearances or even their gender, so I made up my mind on some cats), Alderpaw Not Remaining A Medicine Cat Apprentice, etc.

Crossover Cameo Warning: _Discworld_. More specifically, Death. Unfortunately, the Dark Forest causes a disturbance in 'normal business' (the collecting of souls) in the flashback portion of the story. Which gets his attention pretty fast.

* * *

Poppyfrost escorted Berry and Briar to a forest clearing near the camp the next day. The she-kit lifted a paw through her collar. It suddenly snapped. It fell to the ground.

The dappled she-kit stared at the red collar for a moment. Maria had given this to her when she had been a small kit. How could she part with it?

But, she remembered that her yellow-haired friend was gone. She would never have another set of housefolk. She did not need it anymore.

"I can't wear you anymore," she whispered.

"You were fastened around my neck when Maria was my owner. She is dead. I am not a house cat. Not any longer."

Poppyfrost drew the ginger tabby and white she-kit close with her tail.

"Your memories will mean more than anything around your neck," she mewed comfortingly.

Briar buried their collars together under a tree, just like in her daughter's dream. She mewed sadly.

"The wind feels so nice, but I wish this was not needed," she lamented.

"Let's go back to the camp. I wonder who will be training me."

The cats walked back to camp with drooping tails.

Berry's days settled into a routine. She woke up, ate with her mother, played moss ball or hide and seek with Turtlekit, settled in for a nap around sunhigh, visited the elders in the afternoon, had dinner, played with her gray tortoiseshell and white friend a little more, and settled into her nest once her mother called for her. Briar looked after the nursery's kits whenever the other queens needed a break.

The tiny she-kit recovered some of her lost weight. She grew a little bigger. But, that didn't stop Rowankit from pinning her down whenever he wanted to play fight. She missed Rudy, Maria, Cloudy, Matt, and even Patches greatly.

After a few days, a pale ginger she-cat approached the nursery as the dappled she-kit and Briar finished breakfast.

"Hello. Is Briar awake?" she called out.

The pale queen with a mottled brown and cream muzzle, ears, legs, and paws swallowed one last mouthful of finch. She peeked outside of the nursery.

"I'm up," she called back.

"Who are you?"

The pale ginger she-cat stepped forward.

"I'm Ambermoon," she introduced.

"You will be training with me from now on. We're going to have a great time together."

The pale, cream, and brown queen purred.

"Great. I hope it's not for too long though.".

She stared at the dappled kit.

"I still need to take care of Berry."

The pale ginger she-cat shook her head.

"It will not be too long," she reassured.

"Your training will be in short bursts since you are still a queen. All I will be doing today is assessing you. I need to know where your hunting and fighting skills are before we begin the tough stuff."

Briar nuzzled the kit's cheek.

"I won't be gone long," she reassured.

"Stay with Poppyfrost until I come back."

The queen followed Ambermoon out of the ThunderClan camp. She returned around sunhigh panting, but satisfied.

"How was it?" Berry squeaked.

Poppyfrost took care of her during the morning. She bested Rowankit in a foot race that encompassed from the clearing outside of the nursery to the entrance of the elders' den. A few cats had hissed at them, but the elders had purred in amusement.

The pale, cream, and brown queen managed a tired purr.

"My fighting is decent because of scuffling with Hank and rude street cats, but my hunting leaves a little to be desired," she chuckled.

"Ambermoon has promised me that she will correct my hunter's crouch in no time."

The tiny she-kit's paws were drawn to the medicine den in the afternoon. The elders had taken a longer nap than usual. Waking them up for stories would be rude. She approached the den cautiously. Cats muttered under their breath as they spotted her. She peeked her head inside of the medicine den.

Briarlight was propped up in her nest puffing out her chest. She yowled very loudly. The kit froze. Was the brown she-cat okay?

The she-cat's sky-blue eyes landed on her. She stopped yowling for a moment.

"Berry, do you want to come in to the medicine den?" she asked.

Berry nodded. She stepped into the den.

"I'm alright," the she-cat with a broken back assured her, as if she knew what the she-kit was thinking.

"Because my back legs are paralyzed, fluid will get trapped in my lungs unless I perform breathing exercises. I'm clearing out my lungs. I'm not hurt."

The dappled ginger tabby and white she-kit watched Briarlight continue her breathing exercises in fascination. Jayfeather exited the medicine den's herb store.

"I imagined you would be back here," he mewed gruffly.

"Anything catching your attention?"

Berry stared at the herbs in the different piles.

"Can you show me more herbs like the first night I stayed here?"

The gray tabby hesitated. He eventually nodded.

"As long as you don't make a mess in the den," he agreed.

"Let me show you something simple first. Dock shouldn't be too hard for you to remember…"

The tiny she-kit lost track of time. She soaked in all of what the ThunderClan medicine cat told her about herbs. There were so many kinds. She even helped him sort a few into neat piles.

He grunted in acknowledgement.

"Well done Berry," he mewed in a clipped voice.

His blind blue eyes glanced over the piles of dock, watermint, tansy, and yarrow. His nose twitched.

"You can now help me sort out wilted catmint leaves."

The dappled she-kit examined the sweet-smelling leaves. This herb had been grown inside of Eliza and Mason's garden! She sniffed for fainter smelling leaves. She sorted the less fragrant leaves into a special pile.

She suddenly heard her mother's voice behind her.

"Berry, there you are!"

The ginger tabby and white she-kit turned her head around. Briar sat at the entrance of the medicine cat den.

"It's near sundown," she informed the tiny kit.

"I was looking all over for you so we could eat."

She glanced at Jayfeather.

"Berry wasn't bothering you, was she?"

The gray tabby shook his head.

"No more than any other cat," he reported.

"She's been helping me sort my herbs this afternoon."

The pale, cream, and brown she-cat purred.

"How nice of her. But, she really needs to go eat."

Berry placed one last old catmint leaf into the 'old stock' pile. She drooped her ears.

"Can I come back tomorrow?" she pleaded.

Jayfeather nodded.

"Of course. Now, run along with your mother."

The ginger tabby and white she-kit helped the gray tabby in his den every day after that first visit. Her dreams involving her and Jayfeather working together grew stronger. While she did not voice it to anyone at first, training as a medicine cat grew quite appealing to her.

The herbs were something she understood in this strange new land. She liked helping others. She was not bullied because she could not measure up in physical ability.

It was true medicine cats could never fall in love or have kits. But, did Berry want to become a mother later on? She had seen how her mother had her paws full with Cloudy climbing too high, Rudy's random stunts, and Patches' bullying. Having small mouths tug on her large ears and long thin tail was not in her plans.

Her choices for future mates were not that great, either. Rowankit still made fun of her for her ears and tail. Dovewing's son Pinekit was just one moon old. He was gentle now, but that could change in a heartbeat. Larkblaze was older than the ginger tabby and white kit, and possessed an aggressive personality from what little she had seen of him. He once called her a 'good for nothing kittypet'.

Did she want to subject herself to that?

She and her mother started to talk about what kind of Clan names they should adopt while settling down for bed.

"I don't think I can ask for a name starting with Briar," the mottled she-cat sighed.

"Briarlight already has a name starting with that, and I shouldn't take that away from her. I need to pick something else."

Berry stared at her paws. Maria had given the kit her name. As the days passed by, it felt as if it were no longer part of her identity. She spoke up.

"Mum, I don't think I want a Clan name starting with Berry," she confessed.

Briar stared at the tiny kit with an open mouth.

"Why not, sweetie?"

Berry drooped her ears.

"Maria gave me my name. She's gone," she whispered.

"It doesn't seem to fit me anymore."

Poppyfrost looked up from her nest. Her kits slept soundly beside her.

"Brightheart is still alive, so adopting a naming beginning with Bright would be rude," she piped up.

"It's a pity. That name would work with your pelt color. You could always be named Patchkit."

The dappled she-kit's insides chilled inside of her. That was one name she could not accept in good conscience. That name was too close to her dead brother Patches' name for comfort. It would be like she was replacing him. Naming her after her lost sibling that bullied her would be cruel. Her mother spoke up.

"Poppyfrost, I appreciate your opinion, but I will not rename Berry Patchkit under any circumstances. One of my dead kits was named Patches. I would partially be naming her after her lost brother. I will accept nearly any other name. But, not Patchkit."

That stopped any debating about renaming Berry for the night. But, as she curled up next to her mother's side, she for once wondered why her pelt color could not be simpler in color. Not many things were white with large ginger tabby dapples.

* * *

Her sleep was troubled by a nightmare of Patches towering over her. He yowled at her for daring to replace him in their mother's heart. The patched cream tabby and white tom scratched at her face. She pleaded for him to stop.

Suddenly, a familiar gray tabby tom rammed into Patches' side. He knocked the larger cream tabby and white tom-kit to the floor.

Jayfeather beckoned his tail to her.

"Berry, come with me. He isn't real. Come back to the cats who care about you," he ordered in a voice that was gentle for once.

The dappled ginger tabby and white she-kit obeyed. She walked away from the dream version of her littermate. Her surroundings started to change from her former house's living room to a peaceful forest kept lit only by stars in the black sky.

She took calm pawsteps alongside the gray tabby. A thin mist hung over the trees. She thought she spotted a few cats hidden in the foliage. Stars sparkled in their fur.

"What is this place?" she whispered.

She had never seen anywhere like this before.

The gray tabby laid his tail on her back.

"This is StarClan," he announced.

"I brought you here so you wouldn't be tormented all night long. I've sensed that your sleep has continued to be troubled like the first night you stayed in ThunderClan."

The tiny she-kit widened her dark blue eyes in awe. This was where good Clan cats resided after they died!

"How did I end up here?" she squeaked.

"Graystripe and Brackenfur told me that only leaders and medicine cats usually visit with StarClan."

The thin gray tabby chuckled.

"That is how things are most of the time," he acknowledged.

"But, there are two different things that make you an exception."

He ran his tail over Berry's back.

"I have a special power that makes me different from even the other medicine cats. It allows me to visit other cats' dreams, read their thoughts, and sense their emotions. The other factor is that future medicine cats tend to have special dreams before they even accept the post."

The dappled she-kit took in a deep breath.

"So, I can learn how to heal cats like you do?" she whispered.

She scarcely believed her own voice.

Jayfeather nodded at her.

"Yes. You can become my apprentice, if that's what you want."

The dappled she-kit sat on the soft grass.

"I'd love to," she purred.

"But, what about the other ThunderClan cats? Mum and I are new here."

The gray tabby glanced at the ground.

"Some of them are not going to like it. I am not going to lie to you," he growled.

"You haven't noticed since you stay in the nursery, the elders' den, and the medicine den most of the day, but some cats have said a few nasty things about you and your mother. You will have to prove it to them that you have what it takes."

The tiny she-kit stared at the blind medicine cat straight in the eye.

"I will," she vowed quietly.

"I will show them that I can be a great medicine cat even though I was once a house cat, or as they say it, a kittypet. I will keep my Clanmates healthy. And, I will not have kits."

The gray tabby licked her on the ear.

"Very good. I'll take you somewhere quieter."

The pair strode into a dense patch of forest. Berry did not sport any more StarClan warriors.

"I can't pop into your dreams everytime this happens," Jayfeather warned.

"I would like you to talk to Briarlight when you wake up about what led you and your mother to ThunderClan. It sometimes helps to talk to another cat when something bad has happened. She's one of the nicest cats in this Clan. She'll at most be confused when you mention kittypet terms."

The ginger tabby and white she-kit nodded.

"Okay," she mewed.

It couldn't hurt. Maybe she would have fewer nightmares?

"Another thing I am warning you about is you need to be careful about what you say to some cats," the thin gray tabby continued.

"It's one thing if you accidentally say a term from when you and your mother were kittypets. It's another thing to imply that powerful spiritual beings other than StarClan exist, and are more powerful than StarClan. The mere idea of such a thing will leave many cats frothing at the mouth."

The image of a giant skeleton in a black robe flashed through her mind.

"You mean Death," she realized.

The gray tabby bowed his head.

"Yes. Most Clan cats believe that the souls of non-Clan cats and other animals fade away after dying. As you know, this is not true. If anyone heard you speaking about Death, they would accuse you of being blasphemous. The knowledge of his existence should be kept between us, your mother, Briarlight, and Bramblestar."

Berry nodded. Her dream slowly faded away. The ginger tabby and white she-kit woke up in hers and Briar's nest.

* * *

She continued to brainstorm ideas for her new name over the next moon. She could always call herself Tipkit after a kind of butterfly some friendly warriors spoke about. But, that would sound weird. She could always go with Gingerkit for her large ginger tabby patches.

But, was that really the right choice? She glanced at her reflection in a puddle. Dapples of ginger tabby were scattered over a white pelt. Maybe, her new name could be Dapplekit. It would match her looks quite well.

Her mother made a decision on the first part of her new name just before WindClan had made an attack on the ThunderClan camp. A few desperate ThunderClan warriors had hunted too close to their border with the fast cats of the moors. Each Clan had been devastated by the blood dirt fever. WindClan could not afford to let intruders hunt on their land.

Berry chased after a moss ball with Turtlekit. The gray tortoiseshell and white she-kit raced her neck and neck. They ignored the cold chill of the leaf-fall air. Poppyfrost sat a little ways away.

All of a sudden, the peaty smell of the moors hit her nose. Small lean cats rushed through the camp entrance.

"WindClan, attack!" a mottled light brown tabby tom yowled.

Dovewing rushed out of the nursery. She approached the two she-kits.

"Berry, Turtlekit, you need to get back in the nursery now," she mewed urgently.

"Once we're in there, you will need to be quiet. WindClan is raiding our camp."

The gray queen herded the dappled she-kit and her gray tortoiseshell and white friend into the nursery. Turtlekit carried the moss ball in her mouth.

Inside of the bramble thicket, Briar curled around Rowankit, Drizzlekit, and Pinekit. She rose from her nest.

"Thanks for bringing them in Dovewing," she whispered.

"Where's Poppyfrost?"

The gray she-cat leaned forward.

"She's outside guarding the nursery from intruders. Which one of us should guard the nursery itself so none of the kits get hurt? I'll admit that I have it rough in battle."

The pale, cream, and brown she-cat bowed her head low.

"I'll do it," she hissed.

"Ambermoon has praised my battling skills. I will keep watch at the nursery entrance. Please take care of the kits."

Berry crept into her mother's nest. Turtlekit settled alongside her and the other kits. Her mother sat near the nursery entrance. Dovewing curled around them.

The kits crouched in the nest of moss. None of them uttered a word. Peaty WindClan scent wafted throughout the air. The sound of battling cats grew closer.

Berry's large ears pricked forward. Poppyfrost yowled in pain near the nursery. A blood-splattered black tom stinking of the moors rushed through the nursery entrance. He curled his lip into a snarl. His amber eyes gleamed with a hunger for battle the she-kit had only seen before when Hank chased after her.

The black tom aimed for the kits. Briar forced herself in front of them. Her front paw struck the tom's head. He twisted his lean body around. He bit the queen's mottled brown and cream tail. The thin she-cat raked his side.

"I can't believe my eyes," the black tom jeered.

"The ThunderClan nursery is being protected by a mere kittypet! What kind of queens do they have?"

The tom stopped his insults suddenly. Briar flipped him onto his belly. She hissed at him.

"They have strong queens that will do anything to protect their kits," she hissed.

"Just because I was once a kittypet does not mean I am weak. I have fought to protect kits long before I moved to the Clans. They are sometimes the most precious thing a cat has."

Dovewing fluffed up her fur. She rose from the nest. She laid unsheathed claws on the black tom's neck.

"What are you even doing in here, Breezepelt?" she growled.

"The warrior code states that no warrior may neglect a kit in danger. Kits are never to be harmed, even if a Clan leader orders a raid on another Clan's camp."

Breezepelt glared at the pale gray queen.

"Because, I heard that ThunderClan had taken in kittypets to strengthen their numbers," he spat.

"The ThunderClan border patrol said that they were sheltering a queen and her one kit. It's bad enough that we have to take in loners and rogues to get back on our paws. But, sullying our blood with kittypets? I wanted to stop them from spreading their filth before it began."

Berry kept silent. She had a feeling that telling the black tom that there were no kits in her future would make him more murderous. She shook in fear.

The black tom launched out his claws. He raked Briar's belly. Dovewing slashed at his neck. Blood oozed out of the wound.

Briar winced, but did not falter. She returned the favor with a belly rake of her own. Blood stained her mottled paws quickly. Breezepelt yowled loudly.

The pale, cream, and brown she-cat glared at the intruder.

"I will not do anything else unless you harm me, Dovewing, or our kits," she hissed.

"If you attack us anymore, I will have no choice but to end your life. You had better hope that Poppyfrost is okay."

Berry stayed in the moss nest for a long time. Cats yowled and hissed outside. The sounds grew quieter.

"The battle is over. WindClan, retreat!" a cat called out.

The dappled she-kit heard the rushing sound of cats running away. A dark ginger tabby tom smelling of WindClan poked his head into the nursery. Dovewing hissed at him.

"I hope you aren't about to attempt to attack the kits like your Clanmate just did," she growled.

The tom shook his head. He opened his mouth open in shock.

"I can't believe he did something so mousebrained. Onestar said that we were to avoid hurting the medicine cat, queens, kits, and elders. I promise you that he will hear of Breezepelt's misconduct."

He nudged Breezepelt up to his paws. The black tom swayed slightly.

"You know that we were to only attack ThunderClan cats capable of fighting," the dark ginger tabby scolded.

"You deserve every wound the queens gave you, Breezepelt. Once I speak with our leader, you will not be attending the next Gathering."

Breezepelt leaned on the dark ginger tabby's shoulder. They slowly exited the nursery.

* * *

Bramblestar visited the nursery the next day.

"I've heard that you defended the kits from Breezepelt," he purred at Briar.

"You fought very well. I would like to give you a warrior name. Have you thought about what you would like the first part of your new name to be?"

The mottled pale, cream, and brown queen raised her head from her padded nest. Breezepelt had given her and Poppyfrost nasty injuries. They were not in the medicine den only because someone had to look after their kits. The thin queen was not to attend training with Ambermoon until her injuries healed.

"I have. May I be named Mottle-something?" she requested.

"The brown and cream around my ears, muzzle, legs, and tail are mottled all over."

The huge brown tabby nodded.

"Certainly. Now, the second part of a warrior name is given because of a skill, personality, or looks. Ambermoon tells me that you are fast, battle well, and are a very good mother. Fast cats' names often end with –foot, -flight, or -breeze. Warriors skilled at fighting usually receive –claw, -strike, -talon, -storm, or –blaze. A cat good at taking care of kits can earn –flower, -poppy, or –petal."

The thin queen pricked her ears forward at the mention of –flower.

"I think I would like to be called Mottleflower once I can have a naming ceremony," she decided.

Berry sat up tall in the nest. She raised her voice.

"Bramblestar, I would like to have a new name as well," she mewed.

The brown tabby tom blinked at her kindly.

"And, what do you want your new name to be, Berry?"

The dappled she-kit purred.

"I want to be named Dapplekit, after my dappled ginger tabby and white pelt."

* * *

"Jayfeather eventually spoke to Bramblestar about making me his new apprentice," Dapplecloud continued.

"He agreed to it, but as Jayfeather predicted, a lot of cats were angry. Rosepetal, Thornclaw, Larkblaze, and Snowbush never warmed up to me much. Rosepetal and Larkblaze passed on their dislike for me to their kits."

Specklepaw took in a deep breath.

"Even Yarrowheart and Limpetcloud?" she whispered.

"Limpetcloud is so gentle with everyone."

The small she-cat bowed her head.

"Yes. It does not help in Yarrowheart's case that I have to check up on her a lot. Attacking rogues broke her back leg near the end of her apprenticeship. She is constantly in pain even if she can perform warrior duties. Since I cause her pain everytime I check on her legs, she has no reason to be friendly with me."

The thin she-cat curled her tail around her paws. She closed her eyes.

"Breezepelt grew more eager to kill my mother and I after my mother defeated him. He succeeded in murdering Mottleflower in my ninth moon during another raid on the ThunderClan camp. He then tried to kill Jayfeather and I for being 'abominations to the warrior code'. His Clanmates prevented him from ending anymore lives."

Dapplecloud's breaths came fast and shallow. She remembered how her mother had stood in front of her. She had not lifted a claw towards the black tom, and was slaughtered like prey. The incident had provoked her fear of most WindClan cats. She could barely look Kestrelflight in the eye at the Moonpool the half-moon after her mother's death.

"Their deputy Harespring and Leaftail, the dark ginger tabby who retrieved Breezepelt last time, restrained him from killing us. Breezepelt had been one of the warriors to fight on the Dark Forest's side during the Great Battle. His leader Onestar had seen my mother's murder and the attempted murder of Jayfeather and I as the last mouse tail."

The dappled she-cat took deep breaths. She gradually calmed down.

"He announced Breezepelt's exile from WindClan at the next Gathering. His body was found at their border not long afterwards. His wounds had festered with infection without a medicine cat's care."

Specklepaw paced her nest. She widened her bluish-green eyes.

"Harespring became Harestar, right?"

Her mentor nodded at her.

"Yes. He chose Leaftail as his first deputy," she purred.

"Leaftail continued serving his Clan until he had passed of old age. Harestar was old himself by then. He lived only a few quarter-moons after picking Heatherstar as his successor. He passed in his sleep when you were three moons old."

The speckled tortoiseshell pricked her ears forward.

"What happened to Bramblestar, Poppyfrost, Brackenfur, Graystripe, Rowankit, Briarlight, Jayfeather, and Turtlekit?"

The ginger tabby and white she-cat paced around her nest. She sighed sadly.

"All of them joined StarClan over the years. Rowankit was first," she whispered.

"He became an apprentice named Rowanpaw under Sorrelstripe. Despite Jayfeather and I trying our best, he succumbed to greencough that leaf-bare. The illness had left the Clans vulnerable to more disease."

She allowed her thoughts to drift to Graystripe. Oddly enough, all of the apprentices of his generation had died away from their home territory. He was no exception.

"Graystripe's life ended happily," she continued.

"His son Stormfur lived in the Tribe of Rushing Water. We have had Clan patrols travel to the Tribe before, but even though his son lived there, Graystripe had not been chosen to visit them since we settled by the lake. He asked Bramblestar if he could visit the Tribe with two warriors escorting him."

Memories flashed in her mind of the longhaired gray elder leaving ThunderClan with Bumblestripe and Whitewing for the last time. They had come back with a similar old dark gray tom and a pale tabby she-cat in tow. But, not the funny gray tom who had been Firestar's best friend.

"He made it to the Tribe despite his age," the she-cat whispered.

"He visited with Stormfur, Stormfur's mate Brook Where Small Fish Swim, and Stormfur's kits Lark That Sings at Dawn and Pine That Clings to Rock. He told many tales about the Clans to young Tribe cats who listened. But, his old age crept up on him. He died in his sleep while at the Tribe. He was buried next to his daughter Feathertail. Stormfur and Lark accompanied the warriors back to tell ThunderClan of the news."

Dapplecloud adjusted her position in her nest. Accounting for everyone's fates was going to take a little while.

"Brackenfur was very old. He died of the greencough that took Rowanpaw's life," she meowed.

"His sister Brightheart joined the elders soon afterwards with her mate Cloudtail. Poppyfrost's injuries from Breezepelt took moons to recover from. She grew old as well, but continued fighting for her Clan until she died of injuries given to her by a ShadowClan patrol."

She beckoned Specklepaw forward. She licked the top of the new apprentice's head.

"When your older siblings Leafpaw and Blacktail were only four moons old, Bramblestar lost his last life defending five wandering WindClan kits from a fox," she whispered.

"ThunderClan had been very upset about it. Those kits were not exactly popular once they were old enough to attend Gatherings. One of the kits later died of his wounds. Squirrelstar became our new leader, and chose your father as her deputy."

The dark speckled she-cat widened her mouth in awe.

"Wow," she mewed.

"But, what about Jayfeather? He was one of the Three, but the elders told us that we were too young to know what happened to him."

Dapplecloud's very dark blue eyes turned nearly black.

"That is because his fate was brutal, and against everything the warrior and medicine cat codes teach us," she growled suddenly.

Her long tail lashed at the ground. Smokefoot would give his kits the true story later. But, even though her mentor had survived when most assumed him dead, he had not deserved the attempt on his life.

"You will be told more about this later on in your training, but you must understand Specklepaw that medicine cats like us are bound to our own code in addition to the warrior code. As Graystripe had made clear to me, medicine cats were forbidden to have mates or children at the time I had joined ThunderClan. Leafpool's disobedience of this code eventually led to a devastating confrontation between the medicine cats and normal warriors of each Clan."

The dark speckled tortoiseshell she-cat laid her head on her white front paws.

"What kind of confrontation?" she whimpered.

The dappled she-cat sighed. She stroked her apprentice's back with her tail.

"Cats were afraid of medicine cats entering forbidden relationships," she whispered.

"Warriors of all five Clans banded together to stop what they thought was a blight of the code. They grew suspicious of medicine cats becoming friendly with any other cat. I received glares just for sharing tongues with my mother, or hanging out with Turtlekit, who became Turtlefrost."

Dark memories surfaced of the night her mentor was torn away from her forever. The medicine cats had been meeting together at the Moonpool at the half-moon. They were sharing tongues with their ancestors when a patrol of cats from all five Clans attacked the medicine cats. They chased Jayfeather and a white she-cat he helped bring back from the dead out of the Clan territories.

"These warriors started spying on us everywhere without the permission of our leaders. In my twelfth moon, the medicine cats paid a visit to the Moonpool. Jayfeather asked StarClan for a rare herb only grown in their territory. It revived someone from the dead one time, and made their soul fade away if they consumed it a second time. He chose to revive an Ancient cat named Half Moon. He planned to introduce her to Bramblestar as a prospective warrior."

Dapplecloud curled her tail around her paws. Her mentor had been good at mentoring her, but he still had his secrets. Why hadn't he discussed what he was planning with her?

"When she was revived, Half Moon manifested in the living world next to Jayfeather much like Death is known for doing," she described.

"Jayfeather woke up from his dream soon after. He and Half Moon greeted each other by nuzzling their faces. It was nothing like a lovestruck cat would do, but the warriors had seen enough. As far as they could see, this strange cat appeared out of nowhere at the Moonpool, and Jayfeather was acting romantic towards her. They attacked everyone at the Moonpool."

Specklepaw's fur rose on her back. She admitted a growl.

"Really? They didn't even consider that Half Moon could be a StarClan cat?"

The dappled ginger tabby and white medicine cat shook her head.

"Apparently not. StarClan warned us we were under attack from 'enemies within' before the fighting jostled us awake. Kestrelflight, SkyClan's medicine cat Mossleaf, and RiverClan's second medicine cat Willowshine managed to run away from the Moonpool to find help. Willowshine's mentor Mothwing stayed to fight the wayward warriors. She fought off several of them, but was unable to stop the warriors from pursuing Jayfeather or Half Moon."

She paced around her nest. She had been so useless. She was unable to defend herself, nevermind Jayfeather.

"The wayward warriors clawed at Jayfeather and Half Moon from every angle. A group of the warriors prevented me from following them. Fighting had never been my strong point. I have always been small, and Jayfeather had problems battling as well because of his blindness. ThunderClan had neglected his battle training because of that. He couldn't teach me fighting moves very well. The warriors savaged me until Puddleshine of ShadowClan interceded. He protected me."

The dappled she-cat's mind flashed back to the attack. The warriors had been deaf to her pleas for mercy. She laid beside the Moonpool in a puddle of her own blood. Puddleshine forced the warriors away from her.

"Kestrelflight, Mossleaf, and Willowshine arrived back at the Moonpool with reinforcements. The leaders of all five Clans were among the cats they gathered. They subdued the warriors, but it was too late. Jayfeather was never seen again. Large streaks of blood stained the ground where he and Half Moon ran. Bramblestar was forced to concede that the warriors on the all-Clan patrol killed my mentor and his companion."

Another memory came back. Bramblestar held a vigil for Jayfeather even though his body had not been found. Dapplecloud had to say the ritual words to commit her mentor's soul to StarClan. She could barely move from the medicine den. And, she did not trust most of her Clanmates anymore.

"The warriors involved had broken both the warrior code and the medicine cat code. Their loyalty towards their Clans faltered, they trespassed other Clans' territory to spy on the Moonpool, none of these cats prevented the others from trespassing on their Clans' territory, they had disrespected their Clan leaders, they killed a medicine cat, attacked the other medicine cats, and interrupted the meeting at the Moonpool. Their punishments were appropriately severe."

The dappled medicine cat remembered the Gathering after her mentor's presumed death. Every cat in each Clan attended, even the young kits and cats with disabilities like Briarlight. Bramblestar, Onestar, Rowanstar, Mistystar, and Leafstar decided to punish the wayward warriors together to make an example out of them.

"Bramblestar, Onestar, Rowanstar, Mistystar, and Leafstar held a special Gathering where all Clan cats were in attendance. They decided to punish the wayward warriors together to make an example of them to other cats. Several cats were exiled for what they did to my mentor and the other medicine cats."

Their faces came to her. At least one cat of each Clan had been exiled. Some expressed remorse for their actions. Others did not.

"The exiled cats included Thornclaw, Larkblaze's sister Honeyfur, Stoatfur of ShadowClan, Spikefur of ShadowClan, Berryheart of ShadowClan, Whiskernose of WindClan, Crouchfoot of WindClan, Pikeclaw of RiverClan, Owlnose of RiverClan, Sparrowpelt of SkyClan, and Blossomheart of SkyClan. Those allowed to remain with their Clans were forbidden to attend Gatherings for moons. They could not leave their camps without another cat at their side."

Dapplecloud stared down at her worn nest. After the warriors' punishment was decided, the medicine cats and leaders voted to prevent such an incident from happening again.

"Jayfeather's death ultimately led to the code against medicine cats having mates or kits being revoked. Since outside warriors had decided that medicine cats could not even have friends or close relationships with their families, the leaders did away with the rule entirely. Because of the confrontation, I lost my mentor and most of my faith in my Clanmates. I only trusted Briarlight, Turtlefrost, Poppyfrost, Alderheart, Brightheart, your father, Squirrelstar, and Bramblestar for a long time."

She stared at her apprentice. Specklepaw drooped her ears.

"You did?" she whispered.

The dappled she-cat nodded solemnly.

"Yes. Thanks to cats I should have been able to trust, I laid badly hurt in what became my den. While I have always been kind and patient, I started shutting my heart away from others. You are one of the first cats I have been able to trust for a long time, Specklepaw."

She licked the speckled apprentice's head. If only the young cat knew how much she meant to the dappled she-cat.

"Turtlefrost stayed by my side for several years. She grew into a quiet determined cat, and would help me gather herbs when she could. We became the best of friends. During one greenleaf, a snake had snuck into the camp. She got bit while protecting an apprentice from the creature. I was out checking on herbs in the territory. By the time a patrol found me, it was too late to save her."

It had been ironic. Turtlefrost had died in a similar fashion to her aunt Honeyfern many years ago. By the time the thin she-cat had run back to camp, her friend was writhing on the ground in agony. Her pale blue eyes had bulged out of her skull.

"It burns! My blood is on fire!" she had yowled.

And there was nothing Dapplecloud could do about it. The only consolation was that the gray tortoiseshell and white she-cat took the snake with her.

"Briarlight remained as my assistant," she finished.

"I continued speaking to her about my trauma for a long time. She wanted to have kits, but I found out that her injury prevented her from kitting her own litter. She babysat for the queens, and once there was an orphaned litter, she became their foster mother. She fostered her brother Bumblestripe's kits. His mate Ivypool had died soon after kitting them."

Specklepaw sat up straighter.

"Did she like it?"

The dappled she-cat purred.

"More than anything else. It had been bad enough that she could not hunt, fight, or leave the camp much. That she couldn't even have kits was a final insult to her. She loved those kits very much. Even after Willowface, Shriketail, and Elderstripe became apprentices, they referred to Briarlight as their mother."

She remembered the leaf-bare before Specklepaw's kitting. Briarlight had fended off greencough before, but she had grown old. Gray covered her muzzle. The weakness of age left her unable to fight her last battle.

She told Dapplecloud as much, and asked if she could have a heavy dose of poppy seeds. She sadly obliged. The dark brown she-cat passed away in her sleep.

"The leaf-bare before you were kitted, Briarlight caught greencough. She had done very well to survive up to then. But, she had grown old. The fluid built up in her chest more easily. She and I both knew she wouldn't make it this time around. I gave her a large dose of poppy seed at her request. She passed away in her sleep by the next day."

Specklepaw glanced at the floor of the medicine den.

"Like with my sister Blacktail when the badger had broken her back?" she whimpered.

The dappled she-cat nodded sadly.

"Yes. Unlike with Briarlight, it was not just her back that was damaged. The badger had ruptured her insides like the shadow demon had done with Rudy. She spent three days crying out in agony before I gave her poppy seeds and deathberries once she was out. Squirrelstar gave her a warrior name to take to StarClan because she sustained her injuries while saving your brother's life."

She pulled the young she-cat close with her tail. She licked the top of the apprentice's head.

"There is much to learn from my history," she mewed.

"First, there is no area truly safe. Cats always work better together. If you leave the camp, always take another cat with you to help you."

Specklepaw gave the thin she-cat her full attention. The dappled she-cat continued.

"While they are sometimes inconvenient, the rules of the warrior code are there for a reason. They should be observed. The only reason they should be broken is to save an innocent cat in danger."

The speckled tortoiseshell flattened her ears. She stared at the ground.

"But, following the rules is boring…" she protested.

The ginger tabby and white she-cat stroked the young she-cat with her tail.

"It's better to be bored than dead," she hushed.

"Medicine cats like us are held to a higher standard than the other cats of a Clan. Treating a wound incorrectly or misinterpreting a prophecy can bring devastating consequences. We are the keepers of secret knowledge. You must be careful on how you act around others."

The large apprentice stared at the ground.

"That means I will have to lie a lot to my mother, my father, Leafpaw, Dawnpaw, and Sootpaw," she growled.

Dapplecloud propped up the apprentice's chin with her tail.

"Not necessarily," she soothed.

"If something comes up that you cannot talk about because of it being medicine cat business, you can freely tell them that you cannot speak about it because of your position. Your family knows that you cannot share everything with them."

She blinked at the young cat kindly.

"Never underestimate a disabled cat. A challenged cat such as Briarlight or your friend Snowkit can still offer much to their Clan if given a chance. They just need the support of their Clanmates to bring out their potential."

It was unsaid that perhaps Maria would have done better if she had been given a chance as well.

Specklepaw let out a deep yawn. She settled in her new nest.

"Have you ever met someone you might be interested in?" the dark tortoiseshell inquired.

Dapplecloud shook her head.

"No. I still do not trust that many cats. I am more dedicated to my role as a medicine cat than anything else."

The young cat shifted in her nest.

"Have the Clans found out how to fight the shadow demons?"

The dappled she-cat tilted her head towards the ceiling of their den.

"Yes, but it's very risky. You are not to engage a shadow demon unless you have no other choice," she warned.

"Like regular living cats, they can be killed if you manage to bite their throats or otherwise cause a lot of internal damage. Also, even if the shadow demons' component spirits originate from RiverClan, they are vulnerable to water. If you lead them into a stream, the lake, or especially the Moonpool, they will drown. No exceptions."

The Clans discovered that weakness when the shadow cat demons attempted to pursue the medicine cats one half-moon. It was very convenient. A RiverClan cat and a medicine cat visiting the Moonpool were the shadow demons' worst nightmares.

"Hey Dapplecloud, do you think I will see Death someday?" Specklepaw mewed drowsily.

The dappled ginger tabby and white she-cat purred.

"You will. I have seen him several times since moving to ThunderClan. He usually appears when the shadow demons attack the Clans. And, he will show up again when Maria, her parents, my father, my uncle, and my littermates can pass on. Goodnight, Specklepaw."

She laid her head on her mossy nest. She closed her eyes.

* * *

She blinked open her eyes some time later. She was not in the medicine den, so the dappled she-cat knew she was dreaming. She was in front of an old black house. Next to it was a stable with a white horse eating hay.

The she-cat shook her head. While many of her dreams led to StarClan, some of them brought her into Death's Domain. This was where he stayed when not performing his Duty.

Dapplecloud entered the house without a struggle. Many cats wandered the halls, both living and dead. She spotted the spirit of a familiar flat-faced white kit playing with a ball of yarn.

"Hello Laurel," she greeted.

Her old friend abandoned her game. She nuzzled the small she-cat.

"Dapplecloud, it's so nice to see you!" she purred.

"Are you about to check out the shelves where the life-timers of those killed by the Dark Forest shadow demons are kept?"

The dappled ginger tabby and white she-cat nodded. Her kithood friend fell in step beside her. She opened her mouth to catch the scent of the tainted life-timers.

She was not sure how long the walk was. As Twolegs phrased it, Death had not quite mastered a sense of scale. Time did not pass normally in his Domain. It was not a concern.

She found a separate black shelf of life-timers away from the other ones. In a normal life-timer, sand flowed from the top to the bottom no matter what position it was in. They disappeared when someone died, and popped into being when new creatures were born.

Those unable to pass on because of shadow cat demons killing them remained even after the sand ran out. The sand was replaced by a glowing violet substance that vanished over time. Death labeled each of these life-timers so he would check up on the victims' souls later on.

Dapplecloud approached her family's life-timers. They were all grouped together. She remembered how to read from when Maria read aloud to her. She recognized each name engraved on the life-timers.

Eliza Bell. Mason Bell. Jack. Matt. Patches. Cloudy. Rudy. Maria Bell. They were the ones who perished at the small she-cat's old home. With her mother's death, she was the only survivor of their family.

The vile violet substance filled less of the life-timers since her last visit. Only one fourth of the original substance remained in the life-timers. Dapplecloud let out a purr of joy.

She suddenly felt a particularly bony hand stroking her side. She did not care that this action might flout the fifteenth law of the warrior code. A soothing deep voice called out to her.

SOON, DAPPLECLOUD. YOUR FAMILY WILL BE FREED OF THE DARK FOREST'S TAINT VERY SOON.

* * *

A/N: Finally, the last chapter. Let me over the main points.

I chose Ambermoon as Briar's mentor as she seems to be a friendly spunky cat – the exact kind of cat that might do best with her in her circumstances.

As Briar is an adult cat (and ThunderClan has been weakened by the illness), her training has been tailored for her needs. She has a bit of fighting experience from her old life. She is not a stereotypical kittypet by any means.

I thought it was important to show Berry's interest in medicine, and a bond start to develop with Jayfeather. He used his powers to intercede with her dreams as the constant nightmares are likely taking a toll. Remember that it has been less than a moon since her family and owners were killed.

Clan cats put a lot of stock in StarClan. They are a highly spiritual society. Finding out that there are powers higher than StarClan could make many Clan cats angry or react in disbelief. While he is not a deity, Death is such a higher power. Even open-minded Clan cats might not know what to think of him.

I usually try for warrior name prefixes that fit a cat's looks. Unfortunately, there were only a few around for Berry's coat color. I have changed her Clan name several times now. She began as Berrypatch, was altered to Berrydapple, changed to Gingercloud, and has finally been fixed to Dapplecloud. I am sorry to anyone who may be annoyed by this.

Berry's only prefix options were Bright-. Patch-, Tip-, and the obvious (Dapple-) if I were to avoid name prefixes choosing one color over the other (names meant for primarily ginger cats or white cats).

Her mother had it even harder as a chocolate tortoiseshell Siamese. I've flip-flopped on Littlebriar, Littleflower, Littleclaw, Lichenflower, and Mottleflower. Be careful when having special-colored cats enter a Clan. That is all I will say.

I have considered Breezepelt's redemption controversial. Unlike some of the other Dark Forest trainees, he very much fought on the Dark Forest's side. He intended to harm innocent cats. Even before _The Last Hope_ , he attempted to kill Jayfeather and Poppyfrost (who is _heavily pregnant_ when this occurs) in _The Fourth Apprentice_ , attacks Lionblaze when he trespasses ThunderClan territory in _Night Whispers_ chasing after some prey, and provokes a fight over the borders in _The Forgotten Warrior_ just because some ThunderClan cats were washing their paws in the stream that's between the territories.

In my opinion, when Crowfeather chased him out, he should have left for good. Breezepelt is not a good cat. I sympathize with Crowfeather neglecting him, but it does not excuse his actions.

Breezepelt does not seem like a cat who would accept kittypets as new warriors. He'd kill kittypet recruits if given the chance. He was not going to fare well in the Clans' new open-minded era. As Dapplecloud notes, his blatant killing of Mottleflower and attempted murder of both Dapplecloud and Jayfeather was the last straw. I call his death poetic justice.

As a former kittypet, Dapplecloud faced discrimination from others, especially as she was not an ordinary warrior. A medicine cat is the Clans' equivalent of a vet and priest combined into one role. They heal the sick, manage the Clan's medical herbs, and are the Clan's spiritual leaders. Firestar turned heads for being appointed deputy, and Mothwing was balked at when she was in Dapplecloud's same situation. It of course lessened with time.

The aftermath of the illness was a bad time to be an elder or a young cat like Rowanpaw. Vulnerable cats died of other diseases after the feline distemper swept the lake. As he was an older cat, I can safely confirm that Onestar died from one of these other diseases shortly after Jayfeather's presumed death. The distemper weakened him significantly. His mutual killing of Darktail in _Shattered Sky_ did not happen in the _Ghouls of the Clans_ ' universe.

Graystripe's visit to Stormfur takes place after Brackenfur's death. His former apprentice's death made him realize he was not for long in this world. Bramblestar granted his request out of kindness. He may have also realized that Graystripe's death was close.

The Tribe of Rushing Water did not turn him or his escorts away for several reasons: the new Stoneteller (Crag Where Eagles Nest) is more rational than the old one, they have great respect for elders, they are not heartless, and they did not bring Foxleap along (he's dead, but the Tribe didn't know until the visit). I think the Tribe would use a Clan elder visiting as an educational opportunity for their to-bes.

Stormfur and his daughter Lark That Sings at Dawn went back with Bumblestripe and Whitewing to tell the news of Graystripe's death to Bramblestar personally. They left after a half-moon stay.

For those who have not read _Snow's Passage_ , the tale of Jayfeather's presumed death is reserved for a warrior apprentice's final assessment. It is a gruesome scary affair that cannot be sanitized for young cats' ears. Specklepaw is only getting told because she's the medicine cat apprentice.

Kate Cary has said on her blog herself that because of her injury, Briarlight cannot have kits. She would not be able to push them out, and she is physically incapable of performing the mating act. But, what about becoming a foster mother? All Briarlight would need is some borage, and a little help with shifting positions.

Having kits is a risky business. I'm surprised that there hasn't been a death by kit birth in the Clans in recent history. Ivypool's kitting was simply very complicated. She lived long enough afterwards to request that Briarlight take care of them.

I decided to further read about Briarlight's condition. Her future fate could get gruesome in canon if she's allowed to linger too long. It's not just her legs that no longer work in the back. She made it to old age in this story out of sheer willpower.

I allowed her to reach old age so Dapplecloud's tragedies were spaced apart. She's already had it rough. She did not need to lose her confidant, councilor, and friend so soon after Jayfeather's unsanctioned exile and her mother's death. Part of this was also in consideration for Graystripe. He did not need his daughters to all die before him.

When they moved to the lake, SkyClan informed the Clans about Ravenpaw's fate. This is how Dapplecloud knows that Firestar's generation of apprentices all died away from home. His former Clanmates grieved for him, but are glad he died helping another Clan.

The part about old Briarlight being unable to fight this one last battle references 'The Last Battle', a poem for pet owners about to lose their pets and facing euthanasia. Briarlight's quality of life became extremely poor from her last infestation of greencough. She was literally drowning in fluids built up in her lungs. She asked Dapplecloud for a way out, and it was granted.

Unlike Leafpool, Dapplecloud is a believer of using deathberries when they can relieve the suffering of terminal patients. She has met Death, and knows there are many worse things than him out there. Blackpaw/tail only suffered as much as she did because Dapplecloud had not realized the extent of her injuries at first.

The ramifications of the five Clan patrol's attack on the medicine cats are long lasting. A lot of the medicine cats could not trust their Clanmates for a time. Others like Dapplecloud never fully trusted their Clanmates again. The leaders kept a closer eye on their warriors for a while afterwards, and regular warriors are forbidden from interfering with medicine cat affairs.

Several types of demons are vulnerable to water in mythology. The Dark Forest shadow demons are more powerful than a typical Dark Forest warrior, so I decided to give them a glaring weakness. The qualities of the Moonpool in particular will cause a shadow demon to fade instantly.

Dapplecloud's spirit occasionally wanders into Death's Domain when she is asleep on her own volition. Other people have made brief visits there before, although those people tend to be of the magical persuasion. Death lets cats enter his Domain freely, so Dapplecloud is no exception.

I showed Laurel near the end to show that Dapplecloud had not forgotten her. While she was a minor character, they were good friends while she was alive. Death has adopted dead kitties before. At least she can rest in peace without Hank chasing after her. She knows Dapplecloud's Clan name as it's not her first visit.

Dapplecloud can read basic words thanks to her time as a kittypet. She learned from seeing Maria read to her.

The purple substances in life-timers belonging to Dark Forest demon victims is based off of the Shadow Gauges in _Pokémon Colosseum_ and _Pokémon XD_ that show how long it will be until a Shadow Pokémon can be purified. Like with the gauges, these special life-timers glow white inside once the purple substance has vanished. That informs Death that he can finally release that person's spirit. Once he does his Duty, they disappear like normal.

There will be a sequel about Dapplecloud fulfilling her promise to Maria. It will be a while until it is written. It will be called _Dapple's Return_. Victims of the shadow demons require Death's intervention to pass on, so he will be returning as a major character.

My next _Ghouls of the Clans_ story will feature a tom not from ThunderClan as the main character. I feel that I need to break things up a bit. The story will be more lighthearted than this one.

I am sorry for the long author notes. Please tell me what you like, and what I could do better with.


End file.
